Adrift
by FairyTailWzard
Summary: It's been four long years since the death of the S Class wizard Camilla Ray. Fairy Tail lost a respected member, many lost a friend, and most of all; Gray Fullbuster lost the love of his life. But they don't know she is actually alive, raising a child alone. But when circumstances bring her daughter near death she has a life changing choice to make. Which choice shall she choose?
1. Lost

The moon was bright, nearly blindingly so. It gleamed on the ocean water and the waves created a soft melody. On the edge of the sand, a small one bedroom cabin sat with all the lights off. The beams of moonlight shone through the curtains and onto a woman in her early twenties who lay asleep in bed.

Her hair was black at the roots, being then it abruptly transitioned to white. Her hair was sprawled across the single feather pillow, her eyelashes fluttering as she slumbered. Her quilt was pulled up over her shoulders to her chin. The woman was Camilla Ray, now 19 years of age, her fake name being Laurel Quincy.

A baby lay in a crib next to her twin bed. The baby was small, not even a year old. Her hair was little more than black fuzz, her cheeks chubby and her lips pursed in a frown. The baby was Annalise Melanie, Camilla's daughter.

Said child's face twisted and she let out a cry her eyes screwed shut and her arms waving in the air. Camilla's eyes shot open, listening for a second before peeling the quilts back and getting out of bed and padding across the rug to the hand carved crib where her baby lay crying. Annalise waved her tiny fists in the air as Camilla bent at the waist to pick the child up.

Camilla cradled the babe against her chest, swaying from side to side and rubbing the child's back. She hummed a quiet lullaby, smoothing her hand up and down the child's back. The cries ceased to falter and tears started to prick Camilla's eyes. She silently begged her baby to sleep so they could both rest; the dark circles evident under Camilla's eyelids was evidence of many sleepless nights.

The baby's wails ceased to quiet, Camilla's stress rising as she struggled to stay awake. She tried humming a mindless tune but the cries only seemed to get louder.

She turned to look around the room and tears finally escaped their golden prison as they alit on the empty side of the bed, the pillows and blankets untouched. If only Gray was here, Camilla unconsciously knew that if her fiancé were here that he could calm the child.

After what seemed like ages, the cries slowly started to die down as Camilla started to sing a soft lullaby.

" _You are my sunshine, my only sunshine_

 _You make me happy, when skies are gray_

 _You'll never know dear, how much I love you_

 _Please don't take… my sunshine away…_ "

Camilla trailed off, a choked cry escaping her lips. Annalise had fallen fast asleep, head resting against her mother's chest as Camilla rocked back and forth. She didn't set her baby in the crib, instead walking over to the rocking chair in the corner and sitting down.

"I miss you Gray…. I wish I could go back." She whispered into the silence.

….

The child was 2 years of age. She woke abruptly to hearing her mother gasp and sit up, a quiet cry escaping her lips. She heard her getting out of bed and lighting a candle before leaving to the dining room, closing the bedroom door silently behind her. Annalise heard the scraping of the chair against the floor and she clambered out of bed to peek through a crack in the wood.

Her mother had her head in her hands as her shoulders heaved in quiet sobs. She ran her hands through her hair, her head coming to rest on the table.

Annalise clutched her blanket to her chest, the end dragging on the floor. She ducked diligently on her thumb but stopped when her mother spoke.

"I miss you Gray… I don't know how long I can with deal with these nightmares anymore.." she whispered and Annalise frowned before turning and tiptoeing to her bed. Her mommy having nightmares? She didn't know that was possible! Her mommy was always strong and brave and now to see her reduced to tears? Annalise didn't know what to think.

…..

Annalise had turned 3 years old now, Camilla being 22 years of age. She was a gorgeous baby girl with hair a mix of dark blue and black and eyes as blue as the starry sky on a summer night. She scampered around like a rabbit, throwing fistfuls of sand and shrieking at the top of her lungs as she gathered rocks and shells.

Camilla sat on the beach of her new home, hands wrapped loosely around her knees. She wore a straw sun hat with a baby blue ribbon tied around the base and a sundress to match. Her apron was tied neatly into a bow around her waist, already a few rocks and shells from Annalise weighing down the pocket.

As Camilla watched her little daughter skip in the sand, carefully staying away from the water's edge like her mother had told her to, she could almost see a taller man with similar hair and eyes chasing her around, causing her to shriek and giggle. She could see Gray Fullbuster scooping his daughter high into the air and helping her find the best seashells they could.

Annalise would've loved Gray, Camilla just knew it. Gray would've been able to sweep her off her feet and onto his shoulders, holding her higher than Mama ever could. He would chase away the monsters from under her bed and tuck her in at night.

"Mama? Why are you crying?" Came Annalise's voice and Camilla snapped out of her daydreams, hand going up to her face where indeed, tears streaked down her cheeks.

"I-It's nothing sweetie, Mommy just got something in her eyes." She hurriedly wiped at her tears and looked back up with a smile.

"Now, let us see what you found.." She said and Annalise's face lit up, her grubby, sand covered hands going into her little apron pocket. She pulled out a plethora of colorful shells and rocks and all but dumped them into Camilla's lap.

"I like this one! It's pretty like you Mama!" Annalise said proudly and held up a shell that had a crack in it, exposing the colorful inside. She shrieked in laughter as Camilla gently scooted the rocks and shells off her lap and pulled Annalise into a tight hug.

"Well you're much prettier than me sweetheart." She said gently and Annalise shook her head.

"Nuh uh! Mama is really pretty! She has pretty eyes like a sunset and hair like a fluffy sheep!" Annalise insisted and Camilla laughed at the comparison.

"Are you saying I'm a sheep?" She teased and Annalise gasped, turning in her lap and shaking her head frantically.

"No! Mommy's SOOOO much prettier than a sheep! Sheep's are all blah and Mommy's pretty! Even with all your scars!" She insisted again, her eyes wide and frantic.

"Mama's joking Lissy, thank you for the nice compliments. It makes me so happy." She said, kissing her cheek and Annalise grinned,

"You're welcome Mama!"

"Now let me tell you why _**you**_ are pretty honey." Camilla said and Annalise cocked her head, eyes alight with curiosity as Camilla started speaking.

"Your eyes are like a starry sky, always bright with emotion. You always have the prettiest smile on your face and the cutest little laugh." She tickled Annalise's stomach, causing the little girl to shriek in the laugh she so loved.

"Your hair is so soft and silky, I love running my hands through it. You are always so kind and patient even at your age. I could go on forever and ever but that would take a long time wouldn't it?" She finished, tears pricking her eyes. She could see so much Gray in her, it was almost like she was looking at a younger, girl version of her fiancé.

….

Annalise was 3 almost 4 , Camilla had just turned 23, when Annalise ran back to her side in the market square, bawling her eyes out. Camilla had gone into the market of the small town Toledge where they lived. The town was tiny, just a small fishing village. Camilla herself was now the local seamstress, even owning her own shop in town. Everyone was nice, with the exception of very few but Camilla stayed far away from them, she didn't need Annalise to have to see her get angry over a few rude words.

She was discussing the prices of a few apples and oranges with the vendor when Annalise came tumbling through the crowd, tears streaming down her face and her dress scuffed up in dirt.

"Mama! Mommy!" She wailed and Camilla immediately set down the fruits and turned, coming to her knees as Annalise barreled into her legs.

"Annalise? Sweetheart what's wrong?" She asked softly but Annalise only continued crying, hiccups and sobs breaking up what she was trying to say. Camilla came to a decision and scooped up her daughter in her arms, her basket on the other arm as she apologized to the vendor and left the town market.

Their house was small, one bedroom and a kitchen with a half bathroom with only a bathtub, toilet, and sink through a tiny door to the side. There wasn't even a living room, the dining room taking the place of that. The bedroom was tiny, almost embarrassingly so. There was enough room for a single bed, a small toddler's bed and a single dresser.

Camilla set Annalise down on the rug to the front room. Her cries had lessened but didn't totally cease. She rubbed at her eyes with her tiny fists. Her dress that Camilla had made herself, was dirty and a little tattered. She normally wore Camilla's old locket around her neck but now it was clutched in her hands.

"Annalise? Sweetheart you have to tell me, what's the matter?" Camilla knelt down after placing her basket of fresh produce on the table.

"Some kids in the market were mean!" Annalise wailed and fat ugly tears streamed down her face, her cheeks a bright red.

"What did the kids in the market do?" Camilla asked calmly, wiping her daughter's tears from her face with a handkerchief.

"They said that my daddy left me cause he hated me! And then they pushed me!" Camilla's heart froze and she immediately scooped her daughter into a hug, going to sit in the rocking chair out on their front porch.

"I- Is that true Mama? Did my daddy leave cause he didn't like me?" Annalise asked and Camilla shook her head.

"No… Oh sweetheart that's not true at all!" She said gently, turning her to look at her in the eyes.

"Daddy didn't leave you at all okay baby?" Annalise nodded and Camilla kissed her forehead.

"Mama? Why don't I have a daddy? Where did he go?" Annalise asked while Camilla was chopping carrots and green onions. Camilla jumped, the knife slipping and slicing her finger. She gasped under her breath and immediately ran it under the sink while getting a bandage with her other hand. Wrapping it she turned back, moving the bloody knife to the sink so she could wash it and so it didn't contaminate the vegetables.

"W-what Lissy?" She stammered, Annalise looking uncharacteristically solemn.

"Why don't I have a daddy? Where did he go?" She asked again and Camilla swallowed.

"I- we-" She paused, how was she going to explain to her 4 year old that technically she had been killed because of crimes she committed? She knelt down and took Annalise's hands in her own.

"Before you were born…" She swallowed again, meeting her daughter's eyes.

"Before you were born, there was an accident that made Mama have to leave. She had to run far away and leave her family. I had to run away from the accident and then I had you. Your daddy doesn't know you, I had to stay away to keep you and him safe. Understand Lissy, this isn't your fault. This is entirely my fault because of stuff that I did when I was younger. I'll tell you the rest when you're older okay? And you cannot tell anyone alright?" She said and Annalise processed the information and nodded slowly.

"Okay Mama…" She said quietly. Camilla smiled at her,

"Now, why don't you go set the table for Mama okay? Dinner will be ready soon." She returned back to chopping vegetables with a clean knife.

….

Camilla was putting Annalise to bed, pulling the covers up to her chin and closing the curtains when the little girl spoke.

"Mama?" She asked with her nose under the covers as Camilla prepared to blow out the candles that lit the room.

"Yes Sweetheart? What's wrong?" She replied, Annalise huddled further under her covers, pulling the tip of her baby blanket out to rub her nose with it.

"Can you do the firefly thing again?" Ah yes, she was scared of the ' _monsters'_ under her bed and under the dresser.

Camilla smiled and nodded,

"Of course sweetie." She kissed her forehead and held her hand out, just in front of Annalise's face, about 6 inches away. She felt the now familiar yet alien feeling of her magic bubble up and little glowing spheres that left her fingers. They glittered like stars and floated around Annalise's bed like, well fireflies.

They weren't actually fireflies. They were tiny force fields which was Camilla's magic. Well, part of it. She had force fields and the ability to levitate or move the force fields any way she desired. She could also levitate inanimate objects which was helpful around the house or her shop.

"Thank you Mama." Annalise whispered as she watched the little orbs gently bounce around like they were on clouds.

"Anything for you Lissy. Now, time for bed." Camilla brushed a lock of Annalise's hair out of her face before standing, the little orbs dimming a bit as the little girl closed her eyes and escaped into the realm of dreams.

….

Despite her new life, there were days when Camilla felt as if something was missing. As if there was a hole in her chest. She knew what it was, she missed Fairy Tail, she just didn't want to say so.

There were days when she had to pretend, plaster a smile across her face and pretend to be fine so she didn't worry anyone. There were days when all she wanted to do was cry. Days when she felt alone to the point that she actually did cry. When these days happened, she wrote letters. She wrote letters to Gray. She wrote letters to Fairy Tail. She wrote letters to no one in particular.

She had written more letters than she could count, yet none had ever been sent. She could never bring herself to send them, she had just written them because she didn't know where to vent her feelings. But she hoped there would come a day when she could send them.

….

A man stood in the cemetery, head bowed as rain dripped down his face, mixing with the tears that fell. He stood in front of a single gravestone, eyes reading the words over and over again.

 **~Camilla Eleanor Ray~**

 **~Daughter, Granddaughter, Friend, Fiancée~**

 **~"Earth has one gentle soul less, Heaven has one beautiful angel more"~**

The man stared for one more moment before setting a bouquet of colorful roses on the gravestone before turning and leaving the cemetery.

 **WELCOME TO ADRIFT! Just for those who haven't read the first book; it's called Inconspicuous and you have to read that before this or else you'll be very confused!**

 **ALSO NOW I HAVE AN UPDATING SCHEDULE! I'll be updating this story every Saturday! I actually have the first 4 chapters pre-written but I'm sticking to my new schedule!**

 **Until the next update!**

 **FairyTailWzard over and out!~**


	2. Absent

Annalise didn't know where she was. She had gotten separated from her mama in an unfamiliar town called… well she couldn't remember what it was called but it was big. Her mama had promised her that they would go out of town for Annalise's upcoming birthday and get her something special. But now she had been separated and was now lost after chasing after a pretty looking kitty through the snow.

Annalise sat on the edge of the curb, her dress her mama had made her bunched in her fists as her boots scuffed the ground. She let go with one hand to rub her eyes, trying to fight away the tears. She felt fear nearly overpower her as large feet and people tromped past, not one caring about the little 3 year old crying at their feet.

She heard shouts and cheers, glancing up to see a large crowd gathering around something. Standing, she scrambled forward on her hands and knees to get through the crowd to see what was happening, maybe she could find her mommy?

"Oi! Get out of the way brat!" Several feet stepped on her hands and she yelped but still pushed forward.

Squeezing through the last of the people, she saw a man with pink spiky hair and a scarf with a weird mark on his shoulder. His clothes were funny, white baggy pants with sandals and a black long jacket that hit his knees. A flying blue cat flirted around his head like a butterfly, white wings keeping him in the air. She heard shouts.

"That's Natsu Dragneel! From Fairy Tail!"

"No way?! Did he complete the mayor's job already?!"

"I heard he just took it today!"

Annalise recognized the two names- Fairy Tail and Natsu Dragneel. She had heard it and saw it in the occasional newspaper her mother got. The man started to leave the crowd and Annalise scrambled forward, trying to keep up with him as her boots crunched through the snow.

They made it quite a ways before she managed to grab ahold of his jacket and tug on it frantically. The man stopped, looking around for a moment before realizing she was down at his feet, hand still clutched onto the fabric of his coat, cheeks and nose red from the cold. The blue cat landed on the man's shoulder.

"Who's there- huh? Who are you little girl?" The man sounded nice enough and he crouched down to her level, cocking his head.

"I-I'm lost and I can't find my Mommy….. I know your name from the newspapers and I thought you could help…" she mumbled, her tears making her face cold as the snow fell from the sky.

The blue cat grinned at her.

"Well, we'll help you find your mom! What's your name? I'm Happy! This is Natsu!" Natsu ruffled her hair and she looked up, his hand was warm and made her feel safe.

"I-I'm Annalise…. but Mama sometimes calls me Lissy." She stammered and her teeth chattered. Natsu seemed to realize this and picked her up, setting her on his shoulders like her mommy used to do. She clutched his forehead and tried not to fall off. He was really warm, her body stopped shaking and she could practically see the whole town!

"Where are you from Lissy? You from around here?" Happy asked and Annalise shrugged,

"Mama took me here for a special present cause it's my birthday soon… but I got lost cause I chased a pretty looking kitty." Natsu laughed, leading Annalise to giggle as well.

"Well don't worry! We'll find your mom!"

Natsu stopped when someone said his name. He turned and Annalise saw a man with dark hair and dark blue eyes. He looked really tired, a lot like her mommy, and had dark circles under his eyes.

"Who's that?" She whispered to Natsu and he picked her off his shoulders and held her like a child on his hip.

"This is Gray Fullbuster, he's a member of Fairy Tail too!" He said and Annalise looked up to see Gray staring at her. She gave a timid smile.

"M-my name's Annalise! It's nice to meet you Mr. Fullbuster!" She chirped and his eyes widened before nodding.

"It's nice to meet you too… Annalise." He said quietly and Natsu clapped his shoulder.

"We're helping this rascal help find her mom! Apparently she got separated." He explained and Gray simply nodded.

It had been close to an hour before Annalise saw her mom. She was holding tightly onto Natsu's hair, the pink strands tickling her nose. She was looking around at all the bustling people when she saw the familiar black hair in a bun and her dress under her peacoat.

"MAMA!" She shrieked and struggled to get down from Natsu's shoulders. He set her down quickly and she sprinted on her little legs to get to her mother.

"Annalise? ANNALISE!" Her mother fell to her knees, arms open wide as Annalise cannonballed into her arms. Her mother was crying, tears streaking her face as she pressed her face close to her. Now Annalise was crying again, hugging her mother as tight as she could.

….

Camilla was frantic, eyes searching wildly as she all but sprinted through the crowd. Annalise had wandered off while Camilla had been buying materials to bake a cake for her daughter's 4th birthday and now she was nowhere to be found. Camilla had been searching for nearly an hour and a half with no luck.

Camilla had been trying to keep calm throughout her searching but now she was panicking. Her mind was jumping to the worst conclusions possible, was she hurt? Had Annalise been kidnapped? Was she-

"MAMA!" A little voice shrieked and Camilla nearly fell to the floor with relief.

"Annalise? ANNALISE!" She shouted, seeing her daughter running to her, scarf whipping behind her like a tail as she careened into Camilla's outstretched arms.

"Oh my baby! Baby where were you? I told you to not leave my side!" She whispered fiercely, hugging Annalise's head to her head, leaning her own head on her daughter's temple as tears cascaded down her face.

"I'm sorry Mama! I was trying to pet a pretty kitty and I got lost!" She hiccuped and pulled back to look at her with watery eyes.

"OI! Annalise! Where'd you go?!" Camilla froze, holding Annalise tighter as the voice sent shocks through her. Was it-?

Natsu Dragneel pushed through the crowd, his scarf whacking him in the face briefly. She saw Happy flying behind him and held in a gasp as she stood up with Annalise in her arms. Her world froze as she saw Gray Fullbuster, her fiancé, follow behind him. It seemed like the world shattered as their eyes met.

Their eyes widened and she swore they recognized her but Annalise interrupted by wiggling around.

"Mister Dragneel! Mister Fullbuster! Happy! I found my Mama! Look! We found my Mama!" She cheered and grinned. Camilla nodded numbly, plastering a smile on her face.

"I- I see that sweetheart! You did find me! Say thank you to the nice men honey." She said, setting Annalise down in the snow.

"Thanks misters!" She giggled and jumped up in the snow.

"C-Camilla?" Natsu stammered and Camilla swallowed.

"I-I'm sorry sir but you must have the wrong person. My name is Laurel Jane Quincy…" She lied shakily and held Annalise's hand as she pet Happy's head happily.

"S-sorry, you just look like someone we used to know…" Natsu trailed off and Camilla nodded, noticing for the first time how much Gray had changed.

His hair was more disheveled than usual. He had dark bags, much like Camilla's, under his eyes and he was hunched like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. She could tell he had been overworking himself, he had lost a bit of weight as well. Her heart broke for him, she wanted nothing more than to pull him into a hug and whisper that it was alright and she was alive.

"It's alright…. Thank you for helping me find my daughter and getting her back to me… But we have to be going… Our train is going to leave back to our town soon and we cannot miss it." She said, picking Annalise up and picking up her basket from the floor. She waved to the two mages and hurriedly turned to leave.

As they melted into the crowd, she turned back briefly and met Gray's eyes again. He seemed confused and hurt, as if he knew she was really Camilla; or at least had a hunch. The two of them were swallowed up in the crowd and Camilla turned away, holding Annalise on her hip as she left the town and the mages behind.

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 **Until the next update!**

 **FairyTailWzard over and out!~**


	3. Drifting

Camilla woke that morning and instantly knew something was wrong. She sat up, the little amount of sleep she had gotten making her groggy. She blinked rapidly and looked around her bed, sliding out of the many quilts on her bed and slipped on her robe.

Nothing in the house seemed out of place, her latest sewing project; a vintage blue lace tea length dress, was on her table and everything was as she had left it the night before. She looked outside and went out on the porch, the cold winter air making her shiver. Nothing was out of place on the beach, just the waves crashing against the shoreline. She pulled her robe tighter around her and chewed on her lip.

Going back into the house, she nearly fainted. Walking into her and Annalise's shared room, she noticed her daughter was eerily still. She could barely tell if her chest was moving. Camilla's eyebrows furrowed as she walked to Annalise's bedside and shook her gently.

Camilla had to withdraw her hand almost as soon as she touched her. Annalise was freezing! Camilla shook Annalise again, fear making her start to panic. Was she starting to get sick? But then wouldn't she be running a fever?

"Annalise? Baby you got to wake up." She said softly and Annalise groaned, her eyes fighting to open up.

"M-Mama?" She mumbled and coughed, the coughs shaking her whole body. What made Camilla really start to panic, was the blood that dribbled from her daughter's mouth.

….

Gray sat at the desk in his house. He had the lacrima recording from Camilla's execution, the binder she had received from her parents, the pictures from Mercenary. He had his hands in his hair, tugging frustratedly at it.

Why couldn't he shake the feeling that he knew that woman? Laurel Jane Quincy seemed so familiar. She reminded him of Camilla but she was all wrong. Her hair was black, not white, and styled back in a tight bun not hanging down to her chin. She wasn't as lean, her curves were softer, her body not as muscular as Camilla's was. Her eyes weren't as sharp though they were a similar color, being more of a bronze-ish yellow rather than gold.

Plus, Camilla was dead. He had been to her funeral, he had helped carry and lower her casket into the ground, right next to her parents. He had watched her execution dozens of times, just to hear her say " _I love you_ " one last time.

His grief had just began to simmer down and just started to heal after 4 years when he saw Laurel Quincy. It was like a slap to the face and it felt as if someone took his heart and ripped open the grief and old wounds again.

….

Camilla was absolutely furious. Two doctors already had come to her house, both refusing to treat Annalise once they discovered she had little money to pay them. They scoffed and didn't even enter her home, instead turning on their heel to leave. The third doctor seemed promising, he was young and famous in the field, not even charging that much for a house call. Normally she would've been suspicious of how low his prices were, but at this point, she was to frantic to care.

She was sitting at Annalise's bedside, the little girl having several quilts and blankets on her to attempt to keep her warm as her body grew colder and colder. She had been moved to the front room, her bed now next to the small fireplace that was lit. Annalise's face was deathly pale, bags the color of bruises under her eyes. There was a knock at the door and Camilla was up and at the door in a flash.

Opening it hurriedly, she saw the doctor. He was young, maybe a couple years younger than herself. His hair was a light golden blonde and swept to the side, his eyes were a gleaming orange, an unusual color but complimented is hair. He was dressed formally, a button up and slacks with a tie and his doctor's coat. He smiled charmingly at her and she stood to the side to let him in.

"Thank you for coming Doctor. I really do appreciate the short notice." She said as the man set his briefcase on the dining room table, eyes taking in the room. He turned and smiled again,

"Anything for a gorgeous woman such as yourself. And please, call me Steven." he flirted and she frowned, twisting the ring on her left ring finger.

"First of all _Doctor_ , I have a fiancé . Second of all I didn't have you come here to flirt with me." She snapped and glared, the man raising an eyebrow at her attitude.

"My apologies madam." He said and bowed his head in apology.

"Now, can you take a look at my daughter?" She asked with narrowed eyes and he nodded, taking out a stethoscope.

After listening to her heart, asking a couple questions, and examining her, he stood up and readjusted the blankets.

"This seems out of my area of expertise madam. It seems to me to be more magical illness rather than a physical one." He said, was it just Camilla or was he closer to her?

"So you can't do anything?" She demanded and he shrugged, taking a noticeable step closer.

"I'm not saying that, but it'll take a little…. More." he said, his tone noticeably changing to something more… predatory. He was almost uncomfortably close now, eyes half lidded and filled with an emotion she did not like. When she took a step back, he took a step forward. Her back hit the wall and she froze. His hands went to her waist and pulled her closer, their hips were touching now and she stiffened.

"Sir, I'd appreciate it if you backed off. If you aren't going to help my daughter then I'm going to have to ask you to leave." She said through gritted teeth and clenched her fists. He got ever closer, she could feel his breath on her face and swallowed.

"Don't be like that… You are a wonderful woman Miss Quincy. Your fiancé doesn't even have to know what happens here." He whispered and his lips almost brushed hers. She imagined Gray and that was the last straw. Her magic power exploded and launched him across the room and out the door.

She stalked out the door, the man's briefcase being thrown at him. He scrambled in the sand, eyes wide.

"GET OUT!" She shouted and he ran away, his clothes covered in snow and sand. Turning back, she grabbed a bag and started packing anything she would need.

There was a healer she knew she could bring Annalise to, even though it would blow her cover, she would do it. She would do anything for her daughter.

"Oh Porlyusica, I sure hope you can help." She said under her breath, packing clothes and foods that wouldn't spoil quickly. She fit enough clothes for two days for the both of them and fastened it up.

With her bag packed, she changed into a longer dress; dresses were all she had these days, it was easier to move around in than other clothing so it was preferred. It also helping her hide because she always used to dress in pants and battle suits. Pulling on thick boots, and her bag on her back, she went back out into the dining room and gently picked up Annalise, putting on her coat, scarf, boots, and hat. Wrapping her in blankets, she carried her to the trail in town where the station was.

Boarding the train, she sat in an empty compartment just as the train started to move. Annalise was sweating heavily in a cold sweat so she removed some of the blankets. She was as pale as paper or snow and when Camilla touched her, her skin was colder than ice. Camilla brushed hair from her forehead, adjusting the bangs on Annalise's head.

"Mama?" Came her cracking voice and Camilla looked down at her.

"Yes baby?" She said, running her hand through her daughter's hair. It was getting longer now, to the point where she had to braid it to keep it out of her face.

"I'm cold… where are we going?" She asked and coughed again, blood dribbling from her lips. Camilla pursed her lips, wiping the blood away with a handkerchief.

"We're going to a doctor. She's gonna make you all better." She said softly and Annalise nodded, her head in Camilla's lap. She watched the scenery go by and nodded before snuggling back into her blankets.

"I love you Mommy." She said as she closed her eyes.

"I love you too Baby Girl." She kissed her forehead, worry making her heart race. With how quickly she was declining in health, Camilla could only hope that she would make it in time.

 **Please comment, favorite, and follow!**

 **Until the next update!**

 **FairyTailWzard over and out!~**


	4. Found

The treehouse was nostalgic. Camilla remembered being injured or sick one to many times and having to spend time in Porlyusica's home. She carried Annalise like a baby, cradled in her arms and her head against her chest. Crunching through the snow, she arrived at the door and raised one fist to knock.

How would Porlyusica react? She had been gone for 4 years for goodness sake and now she comes back with a daughter who is in the possible verge of death. One wouldn't expect a good reaction.

And a good reaction she did not get. The door opened and she was immediately hit with a barrage of hits with a broom.

"OW! Porlyusica! It's me; Camilla Ray! It's me! It's ME! Stop hitting me!" She cast a force field over herself and Annalise until the barrage of whacks stopped. The yellowish-gold-white shield disappeared as the broom stopped coming down.

"Camilla Ray? I don't believe you. You used magic." Came Porlyusica's curt voice and Camilla brought down her shield, meeting the familiar cold gaze of Porlyusica.

"I have the guild mark! Look!" She pulled off her gloves and showed the yellow mark on her right wrist.

Porlyusica lowered her broom before doing another unexpected action. She pulled the young woman into a hug.

"You idiot! You were dead!" She snapped and whacked Camilla in the head.

"I know….. I'm sorry. But Porlyusica I need your help."

It was a little while later when Camilla finished telling her story and Porlyusica decided to take a look at Annalise.

"She has too much magic energy in her body for it to be safe. If we don't remove some quickly, her body will eventually become a block of ice." The older woman said and Camilla stopped with adjusting the blankets.

"Ca-can you do anything? Anything at all to help her?" She asked timidly and Porlyusica nodded.

"Yes, but she will have to stay here so I can monitor her. Don't doubt my skills child! Just because you have magic doesn't mean I'll treat you any different than any of my other patients!" She snapped and Camilla chuckled.

"You haven't changed a bit Porlyusica."

"But you've changed quite a bit my dear." Camilla whirled at the voice and saw Makarov standing in the doorway of the treehouse.

"Grandpapa….." she whispered and he smiled that warm smile she grew up knowing. She sunk to a sitting position on the bed next to Annalise who was asleep.

"How much did you hear?" She asked hesitantly.

"I heard all of it. Porlyusica told me to come while you were getting the little one situated." He said and walked to her side, studying Annalise.

"She certainly looks like you and Gray." He murmured, touching her forehead, eyes warm. Withdrawing it, he turned and pulled his surrogate granddaughter into a hug.

Over an hour later, Camilla stood in Makarov's office, hands in front of her as she waited for Makarov and Porlyusica to arrive and tell her how they could help Annalise. She was pacing, hands fidgeting and twisting her engagement ring around and around her finger.

The three of them had agreed that after all this was over and Annalise was cured of whatever illness, then Camilla would officially come back to Fairy Tail. Then they could tell the members.

She was anxious, how would they react to her? How would _Gray_ react? She knew it was foolish to believe their relationship would be perfect after 4 years. She was human now, could use magic, and had a child for Mavis's sake. Anyone with a brain would figure out, it may not end well.

There were footsteps outside the doorway to Makarov's office and the door began to open.

"How is she-" as Camilla turned, she didn't meet Makarov's gaze. No, instead her eyes fell upon the all too familiar figure of her fiancé.

Slowly, his eyes widened and it looked like he stopped breathing for a minute. It was silent, Camilla felt like there was an elephant trampling on her lungs, it felt like her throat was full of cotton and all she could hear was the roaring of her heart thumping in her ears.

"Camilla?" Gray whispered into the silence and she nearly started crying. She nodded slowly,

"Yes Gray…. it's me." She said and her hands interlocked with each other as she waited for something, anything to happen.

"I thought you were dead." He said and her heart broke at the monotone sound of his voice. He sounded confused, heartbroken, and angry. He seemed so much colder; no pun intended, and she flinched at his voice.

"I- I technically was…." she said softly and he took a sharp breath.

"What do you mean?" His voice was dangerously low.

"I- I woke up, about three months after my execution… I had been-"

"Then why didn't you come back?! It's been 4 years!" His voice rose to a shout and she winced again.

"I wanted to Gray. I really desperately did." She said, trying not to shout, or break down crying, or both.

"Then why didn't you? We spent 4 years crying and grieving because you were **_dead_**. Dammit Camilla; you and I were supposed to be married! But you were killed! I watched the recording every day just to hear your voice again! And now I find out that you've been alive this whole time! Why did you stay away? Why did you come back now?!"

"You actually thought I didn't want to come back?!" She shouted, her tears finally overflowing. Gray's jaw snapped shut and he panted slightly from the shouting.

"It killed me everyday to stay away! I had to stay away, knowing that you were all in pain because of my mistakes! I had to stay away, dealing with night terrors and everything on my own! Hell, you said we would've been married well I even imagined what it would've been like if you and I **_did_** get married! But then I had to tear it all apart knowing that it wouldn't happen! I hated staying away from you! Why do you think I'm still wearing the ring **_YOU_** gave me?! It's because I love you, you moron! But I didn't come back for me. I had to come back because of our child!" She screamed, her voice cracking. Tears dripped down her face and soaking her sleeves with tears and snot when she wiped them away angrily.

"What?" He said softly, eyes blown wide and she knew it was out now, there wasn't any going back.

"I woke up from my coma to find out I was pregnant, it's yours, a little girl. I conceived the day before I was executed. They had to perform surgery on me for 105 hours just to make sure we both survived, I still have the scars to prove it. They had to change my own and the baby's biology to a human so we could survive. Do you have any idea how terrifying that was? I had to become the very thing I used to eat! I had to raise a child by myself." Camilla choked out a sob before continuing.

"I had to watch her take her first steps by herself, say her first words, which was actually "Papa". I had to deal with the heartbreak of her coming to me asking why she didn't have a Daddy, if her daddy hated her, why Mommy always seemed so sad." Hiccuping broke her off but she kept talking, determined to say everything she had been feeling for the last 4 years.

"I had to deal with all that by myself. But I'm not back because of that. I'm back because my child is currently dying and only Porlyusica could help. No other doctor would do it." She hiccupped and wiped her eyes on her soaked sleeves and pushed her hair out of her face.

"I still love you Gray, that hasn't changed. I still love you just as much as I did before I left-"

"Oh really? Well you would've come back if you had." He snapped and she gasped a little before steeling her nerves. She stared at the ground, digging her fingers into the fabric of her dress. She brushed her dress free of imaginary dust and looked him in the eye, her heart breaking into tiny pieces at her next words.

"It was obviously a mistake coming here. I should've just stayed at Porlyusica's. but don't worry, I'll be out of your hair soon enough. Once I find out what's going on and my daughter is cured, we'll leave. You won't hear or see us again." She brushed past him quickly, halting at the door before speaking one last time.

"Just so you know, her name is Annalise. You've met her already. She turns 4 in two weeks and has your hair and eyes. She wishes on a star each night. She says it's a wishing angel. She thinks I don't hear her but I do. She wishes that she could have a Papa so we could be happy as a family. Think about that." She said harshly before opening the door and walking out. Part of her hoped that he would run after her and felt that hope diminish when he didn't.

She wiped at her eyes, the fabric of her sleeves irritating the skin. The guild was thankfully empty as she walked faster and faster until she was running. She made it to the tree house and Porlyusica turned, Annalise on the bed asleep.

"How is she?" She said, desperate to get her mind off of what had just happened.

"We must remove some magic power now. Come closer, she'll start panicking if you aren't here." Porlyusica ordered and Camilla immediately went to her daughter's side, sitting on the bench that was nearby and taking her frigid hand in both her own.

Makarov set a machine down, hooking it up to Annalise with Porlyusica's help. He put a breathing mask on her face.

"Mama?" Annalise's eyes cracked open and Camilla smiled, squeezing her hand briefly.

"Yes Baby Girl?" She said and heard Porlyusica and Makarov moving about behind her.

"I woke up and you weren't there… I thought you left me…." She whimpered and Camilla kissed her forehead.

"I'd never do that to you sweetheart. I'll never leave you. Mama just had to step out and talk to someone." She said and brushed hair from Annalise's eyes.

"Was it Papa?" She asked and Camilla froze before hesitantly nodding.

"Is Mr. Fullbuster my Papa? He's outside right now." Camilla whirled to look at the door but didn't see anything.

"Y-Yes sweetheart. But we aren't talking right now. We got in a big argument." She said and Annalise frowned before nodding sadly.

"You need to step back so we can finish. She is nearly stabilized but we aren't finished yet.

Camilla stood up and took a step back, chewing on her fingernails as she watched in fear as the healer connected a machine to Annalise.

"She'll be alright. Porlyusica knows what she's doing." Makarov said and she nodded, a smile crossing her face as she watched Annalise chatter happily to Porlyusica.

Annalise was sleeping peacefully now, she had a breathing mask over her face and the blankets pulled up to her chin. A machine was connected to the mask, allowing her to breath easily and also siphoned magic from her body in a safe manner. Camilla still sat at her side, running her hand through Annalise's hair. Porlyusica had ordered her to be moved to the Fairy Tail Infirmary so they had more equipment to help get her body back to normal.

They had decided, it was best that they reveal Camilla to the guild now rather than later, she had probably already given herself away by talking to Gray anyways so why hide it?

She had done so, the guild nearly having a panic attack and assaulted her with hugs and peppered kisses all over her face. There were tears shed, though Team Natsu weren't there. Apparently they had gone on a mission.

Camilla was snapped from her daydreaming by Annalise stirring in her sleep.

"I know Porlyusica knows what she's doing but I just- I just can't help but worry about you Annalise. She murmured and heard Makarov come up behind her.

"Do you want to go talk to the rest of the guild? I know Natsu and the others are on a mission, they're supposed to be getting back any time now. I also know that it'd get your mind off of everything." He encouraged and she nodded again, standing up before turning around.

Camilla had her coat wrapped tightly around herself as snow fell from the clouds. She was on her way to Lucy's apartment. She decided that she would meet up with them individually. First Lucy, then Wendy and Erza, then Juvia, and lastly Natsu. Camilla looked up just as she reached Lucy's apartment complex. Opening the door, she made her way up to the familiar door of Lucy's apartment. Steeling her nerves, she knocked and stood back, brushing snow from her hair.

Lucy seemed surprised when she answered the door. Opening the oak door, she stared at Camilla for a full minute before either of them said anything.

"Lucy? It's-" She was yanked into a hug that would rival Elfman's. She gasped for a moment, caught off guard before she was pulled into Lucy's apartment.

"You idiot! You're alive and you didn't tell us?" Lucy pulled away from the hug to whack her on the head. She had tears in her eyes but she was grinning, happy to see her friend again. She heard gasps behind her and realized, Wendy, Juvia, and Erza were there as well. The three joined the hug, squeezing the breath out of Camilla's lungs and nearly lifting her off the ground.

Camilla told her story again for what seemed like the millionth time, laughing to herself as their eyes grew wider and wider.

"You have magic?! And a baby?!" Lucy shrieked and Camilla did laugh this time.

"A little girl. Her name is Annalise. She's turning 4 in about 2 weeks." She looked at her hands and smiled, she was sitting in Lucy's front room with the 4 girls who practically bombarded her with question after question.

"Does Gray know?" Wendy asked and Camilla nodded, her expression falling from her face.

"H-he does… But he wasn't happy to see me…. Which is understandable. I was gone for 4 years and now I'm seemingly back from the dead. He- he didn't take it in the best way and we got into an argument…" She clenched her fists together before standing.

"I still need to inform Natsu of my return. Please- please don't say anything to Gray… It'll hopefully blow over soon." She gave them each a tight hug before bidding them goodbye.

She knocked on Natsu's door and he answered. The first words out of his mouth were;

"Laurel Quincy right?"

Camilla hid a snicker at this and shook her head.

"It's me Natsu. It's Camilla." she said quietly and he stared for a minute before his eyes widened and he completely froze.

"C-Camilla?" He whispered and she nodded. He reached forward and poked her cheek as if he wasn't sure if she was real.

She was then yanked into the small house and then tackled in a hug that lifted her off the ground.

"What's going on in here Natsu… CAMILLA!" She felt the familiar body of Happy crash into the hug, wails mixing with happy cries from the cat. Natsu squeezed her tighter and she smacked his arm.

"Air!" she gasped and he let her go, allowing her to take in greedy gasps of air. Happy was crying into her chest, hugging her as hard as his little arms would allow.

The three of them sat on Natsu's couch as she retold her story for what seemed like the millionth time.

"That idiot…. You come back only for him to yell at you.." Natsu growled, punching his fist into his palm. Camilla hugged Happy closer, comforted by his scent.

"I- I was gone for 4 years Natsu. Of course he'd be upset." She said and he glared at the floor, his hands lighting ablaze.

"I wasn't mad when Lisanna came back! He has no right to say stuff like that. I swear I'm gonna hit him so hard he forgets the past 4 years."

"Natsu no! Just- just give him time. If he doesn't want this relationship anymore then that's okay-"

"But it's not okay Camilla! You have a child for Mavis's sake! And it's Ice Princess's kid too! He needs to be there for you!" Natsu threw his hands up, obviously upset. Camilla sighed, nodding. What he said made sense. But she was just so tired of the conversation and topic.

"Alright…. Alright…" She said quietly and rubbed at her face. Natsu's face softened and he pulled her into a hug.

"Why don't we go back to the guild and you get some rest? You look like you're about to topple over." He said gently and she nodded, her exhaustion hitting her like a battering ram. She stood up, swaying slightly and she felt Natsu pick her up, putting her on his back. He was warm, making her even more sleepy. She smiled, out of all the guild members, he was the most like a sibling, an older brother to her. He had definitely matured while she was gone.

The Dragon Slayer and exceed spoke in quiet tones as Camilla watched Annalise fidget in her sleep.

"I thought the little tyke looked like you and the Ice Princess." Natsu said as he ruffled Camilla's hair. She smiled, looking up at him.

"Yeah… She really does doesn't she? Thank you Natsu, for being so understanding." She said and he grinned,

"No problem Cami!" He laughed and in the midst of all her pain, all her heartbreak, she smiled.

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 **Until the next update!**

 **FairyTailWzard over and out!~**


	5. Afloat

The next several days was torture for Camilla. Annalise slept most of the time as her body was trying to accommodate to the lost magic taken from her body. Gray didn't come by nor even talk to her at all.

The only time she saw him was the few times she left Annalise's side to eat in the guild. He pointedly ignored her, not even meeting her eyes. It broke her heart but she stayed away, another argument wasn't what she needed now.

Most of her time was spent at Annalise's side, reading her stories when she was awake, crying or sitting in silence when she was asleep.

Natsu and the rest of Team Natsu (with the exception of Gray) were obviously worried for her. She knew she wasn't doing too well, she slept little and barely ate, and she cried more than was probably healthy. They continuously asked if she was alright and she would sleepily nod, waving off their concerns.

….

Annalise noticed her mother declining as well. She would wake up sometimes and peek through the tiniest slit of her eyelid and her mama would always be crying.

Her shoulders would shake and her face would be buried in her hands. It reminded Annalise of the time she woke up at home and her mama was crying in the front room. Now, she was crying about Annalise being sick and the argument her Papa and her got in. It made Annalise sad, she didn't want her Mama to be sad anymore, she wanted her to be happy!

Her Mama was currently in an exhaustion induced sleep as the tall lady with the pink hair made her lay down and go to bed. Annalise looked over to the bed her mama was in and took a deep breath. Mr. Dragneel was sitting in the chair next to her bed, ready to help Annalise with anything she needed while her mama slept. She sat up slowly in bed and he was alert instantly.

"What's up Lissy? You need anything?" He asked and she thought about it. She knew what she wanted to do, she wanted to make Mama happy again and she had an idea about how to do it.

"Can we go down stairs? Or outside?" She asked, referring to the main part where people took jobs and would eat. Mr. Dragneel frowned,

"I dunno Lissy, your mom wouldn't want you moving around too much. I don't think Porlyusica would either." He said and she clasped her hands together, eyes wide and pleading.

"Pleeeeeease Mr. Dragneel? This room is stuffy and I'm bored!" She whined and he watched for a minute before rubbing his head and sighing.

"Alright kiddo, but you're gonna use a wheelchair. It's easier to keep track of you and carry all this weird equipment anyway." he grumbled and she cheered before clasping her hands over her mouth. Her Mama didn't even stir, she was probably too sleepy to wake up.

After some hassle, Mr. Dragneel and Happy both got Annalise dressed in her coat, scarf, hat, and mittens. She pulled on her moccasins herself and adjusted her hat.

"Kay Mr. Dragneel! I'm ready to go!" She chirped and scampered over to give her sleeping mama a kiss on the cheek before skipping over to Mr. Dragneel's side.

Annalise squirmed in her seat as Mr. Dragneel pushed her wheelchair around the guild. Her breathing mask and all the other stuff was secured to her chair, the oxygen tank and medicine hooked behind her in a little bag that was on the back of the chair. It was so big in the guild!

She waved excitedly to Ms. Mirajane as they passed on their way out. The white haired woman smiled and paused whilst cleaning dishes.

"We're going outside!" She cheered happily.

"Have fun Annie!" Ms. Mirajane called and Annalise giggled.

The town was bustling, busier than Toledge had ever been! Annalise looked around in awe and pointed things out enthusiastically.

"This place is so big Mr. Dragneel!" She exclaimed and Mr. Dragneel laughed.

"If you say so kiddo. Say, why don't we get some ice cream or go to the park?" He asked and Annalise turned around with wide eyes.

"Park! Let's go to the park!" She cheered and waved her arms happily.

"To the park it is! Come on Happy!"

"Aye sir!"

It was in the park when Annalise was able to put her plan into action. She was just big enough to roll her wheelchair around by herself even if it was a little difficult with her frail body. Mr. Dragneel and Happy both wandered about behind her as she was content to just make a half wilted flower crown for her mama for now.

She looked up and spotted the person she was looking for.

Mr. Fullbuster.

He had his hands in his pockets as he sat on a bench with his head down. She frowned, putting her half finished crown on her head atop her hat before pushing herself past Mr. Dragneel and Happy and towards Mr. Fullbuster.

She stopped in front of him and simply waited. When he looked up she saw his eyes were red rimmed and puffy, a lot like her mama's.

"Annalise?" He asked tiredly and she puffed out her cheeks, anger surging within her tiny body.

"Apologize to Mama." She demanded, she would make him say sorry so her mama could be happy again.

….

Gray frowned, confused.

"What? What do you mean?" He asked, he was exhausted and couldn't seem to understand the little girl's words. Annalise was glaring, the oxygen mask on her face taking away from the scary look.

She was in a wheelchair and had her arms crossed over her chest. She wore a pastel purple dress and a pair of moccasins. She had on a thick coat and scarf over her dress and a hat snuggly on her head, a half finished wilted and soggy flower crown on top of it. Her hands being covered in a thick pair of mittens, he could tell they were all handmade with expert precision.

She rolled her wheelchair over his foot.

"OW! What the-"

"You made Mama cry! Go apologize!" Annalise demanded and Gray saw big fat tears well up in her eyes. He froze at her words, what did she mean? Why was Camilla crying over him? Surely she had gotten over him by now. She said it herself that she'd leave and they'd never hear from her again.

"I'm afraid I don't understand."

"You made Mama cry! She misses you lots and lots! Sh-she gets bad dream a-at night a-a-and says she misses you! B-bu-bu-but she doesn't tell that to me cause she wants me to be happy! She cries at night when she thinks I'm asleep but I still hear her!" Annalise was bawling her eyes out now and hiccuping, just like Camilla did when she would cry.

Gray noticed that some people were staring. He held his hands out as an 'I surrender' sort of gesture.

"Annalise-"

"And then you fought with Mama when she came back! That made her even more sad! She doesn't eat a lot anymore and it makes everyone worried and sad! It makes me sad too… Cause all I want is a Mama and Papa who are happy! So go apologize!" She wailed and Gray bit the inside of his cheek, Annalise looked just like Camilla when she would cry, an expression he was all too familiar with. He nodded, he knew he wanted to be with Camilla, but his temper had gotten the best of him when he saw her again. And now it appeared as if he had broken her heart.

"Okay… Okay Annalise I will. Just- please calm down. People are staring." He bargained and she sniffed a couple times, wiping her face with her little hands before nodding.

"Pinky promise." She took off her glove and held out her left hand, pinky extended. Gray sighed a little, chuckling at the childish move before extending his own, her small pinky finger wrapping around his.

"Alright.. Pinky promise."

 **Please comment, favorite, and follow!**

 **I update every Saturday!**

 **Until the next update!**

 **FairyTailWzard over and out!~**


	6. Astray

"ANNALISE?! There you are! We've been looking all over for you!" Came Mr. Dragneel's loud voice and Annalise jumped slightly. She was rolling her wheelchair through the snow, her flower crown having been finished and Mr. Fullbuster nowhere to be seen. She smiled sheepishly to the pink haired man who looked worried.

He skidded to a stop and breathed a sigh of relief.

"I was looking for flowers for my crown for Mama! It'll cheer her up!" She showed her crown for emphasis and he scratched the back of his head with his eyes closed.

"Well, at least I found you now. Your mom woulda had my head if she found out I lost you." He said and Mr. Happy stuck up his paw.

"Yeah! And your Mama is real scary! Even more scary than Erza if she really wants to be!" He said and Annalise giggled. Her mama? Scary? That could never happen!

"Well, we oughta be heading back now. Your mom'll be waking up soon and we want you in bed and warmed up before that happens. Technically I'm not even supposed to have you outside now. Porlyusica's gonna have my head." He shuddered and started to push her back towards the guild hall.

….

Camilla woke up to Natsu and Annalise playing a small hand game. She opened her eyes and heard Annalise shriek with delight as she 'beat' Natsu. Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes before letting a sad smile cross her face. Annalise noticed she was awake.

"Mama! You're awake now!" She exclaimed loudly and with Natsu's help, ran over to give her mother a giant bear hug. Camilla laughed a little and stiffened when she felt something placed on her head.

Reaching up, she felt wilted and soggy flowers fashioned into a messy flower crown. It didn't take an idiot to figure out that someone ( _probably Natsu_ ) had taken Annalise outside.

"I made you a crown Mama! Now it'll help make you happy!" Annalise giggled and Camilla shook her head softly, laughing. She tickled Annalise's sides, listening to her boisterous laughter.

"You already make me happy Lissy." She blew a raspberry on Annalise's cheek and set her on the ground.

She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood, stretching her arms over her head. She smiled at Annalise who had returned to her game. She looked pointedly at Natsu who avoided her gaze.

"The kid wanted to go outside, we weren't out for that long. I promise everything was fine." He finally said and she raised an eyebrow before letting out a sigh.

"Well thank you for looking after her while I was sleeping Natsu. Even if you did go against Porlyusica orders." She chuckled as he laughed out loud.

"Well that's my specialty!"

….

Gray ran his hands through his hair, emotions running rampant and making his head and heart hurt.

He couldn't get Camilla out of his head, it felt like he had met her all over again. He was sitting at his desk, the desk lamp on and all other lights off. He glanced to the picture that was framed on the corner of his desk.

It was when he had just proposed to her. She had knocked him to the ground in a kiss, tears of joy cascading down her face. She looked so happy then, unlike now where she only looked heartbroken.

He spotted the silver band that he had bought for himself to go with her own ring. He remembered the sheer joy of working so hard to buy that ring and sliding it onto her finger. Then he remembered the heartbreak of seeing her yell and scream at him 4 years later.

" _I hated staying away from you! Why do you think I'm still wearing the ring_ _ **YOU**_ _gave me?! It's because I love you, you moron!_ " He heard her shout to him. He could practically see her face.

He groaned and stood, tugging at his hair.

"Dammit all." He grunted before grabbing his coat and heading out into the falling snow.

….

Camilla sat on a park bench, rubbing her hands together in a feeble attempt to keep warm. She had no coat, seeing as it was the middle of the night and she had run out in a panic. She had had a nightmare, one of her worse ones, and it caused her to flee to somewhere she thought safe. She had ended up in the park, shivering and freezing.

"Hey."

Camilla looked up and saw Gray, a long coat and scarf wrapped around him, hands in his pockets. She simply nodded and looked back to the ground, hands clasped in front of her as if saying a prayer.

They didn't say anything, neither of them moving. Eventually she stood up, not being able to take the awkward silence any longer.

"I better get back to Annalise." She said and walked in the direction of the guild. She thought she heard him say something before she stopped.

"What?" She inquired, turning to face him slightly.

"I said I'm sorry." Her eyes widened as she heard him speak again.

"I'm sorry." He apologized again. His eyes were sad, a deep emotional look to them.

"F-for what?"

"A-Annalise came and talked to me today. She demanded I come and apologize. Said I made you cry. So….. I'm sorry. I made you cry and I took my anger out on you. It wasn't fair." He said and stood, she swallowed heavily, not saying anything.

Eventually she turned and headed back towards the guild without saying a word. Her mind raced a mile a minute and she couldn't figure out what she was feeling. Now that Gray was before her and apologizing, she felt lost. She wanted to have a significant other and Annalise wanted a father more than anything in the world. So why did she feel so scared?

Standing at the door of the guild she realized the cause of her fear. She remembered the anger he felt when she came back. She felt scared that that would happen again. Part of her felt as if it was a dream, or he was bluffing. At this point in time, she felt so conflicted she could barely hear herself think.

"If only Mom and Papa were here. They'd know what to do…. right?"

 **HA you THOUGHT Cranberry would be back! PSYCH!**

 **(** ** _I call their ship name 'Cranberry' cause of me accidentally missaying it and it stuck._** **)**

 **Also! Important Announcement, sort of.**

 **Would you guys be interested in seeing a Fairy Tail x Voltron Crossover?**

 **Or just something plain Voltron?**

 **I have ideas for both and bits written for both so I'd like your opinion!**

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 **I update every Saturday!**

 **Until the next update!**

 **FairyTailWzard over and out!~**


	7. Loose

Camilla arrived back at the guild, only for things to go very wrong. It was when she reached the infirmary that everything plummeted.

Camilla opened the doors, only to scream at the sight of something or rather, someone huge looming over Annalise's bed. She caught the gleam of a syringe before the person disappeared through the broken window.

She ran immediately to Annalise's side, checking her daughter frantically.

Her veins pulsed a dangerous red once, and then faded back to their normal color. She seemed so much more frail now, her body basically skin and bones. Her veins were a bruised purple and stood out like blood on snow. Her lips were blue, deep bags under her eyes and for a moment, Camilla thought she wasn't breathing.

"Someone! SOMEONE HELP ME! Get Porlyusica! ANYTHING PLEASE!" She screamed and heard footsteps leaving the infirmary. She didn't care who it was, as long as they helped her.

"Annalise? Annalise, baby you need to wake up." She said, shaking her daughter's shoulder. Annalise didn't move, she shook her with more force and slowly, ever so slowly, Annalise's eyes opened.

"M-mama?" She whispered and Camilla nearly wept in relief.

"I'm here sweetie, do you feel okay?" She asked, cupping the side of Annalise's face. Annalise shivered once,

"I-I'm c-c-cold Mama….. and my neck hurts." She whimpered and Camilla checked her neck, a small bleeding puncture wound from a large needle dribbling blood.

It was still before dawn when Porlyusica arrived, stabilized Annalise and finally discovered what was wrong with her.

Camilla had been pacing outside the infirmary for the last few hours, chewing on her fingernails. Gray sat on a chair, watching her with worry, he had actually been the one to get Porlyusica.

"Camilla you-"

"Shush…. Just… Shush, please…" she whimpered, biting her lip till she almost tasted blood.

"Camilla you need to calm down."

"Calm down? How can I calm down?! My daughter is dying Gray!" She snapped, exhaustion and stress taking a massive toll on her health.

Gray frowned, standing up and pulling her into a hug, resting his cheek on her hair. She stiffened a little before she gave in and sunk into his embrace.

"I'm just scared Gray. She's my little girl and I can't lose her." She whispered and felt him nod.

"I know Camilla. I know…" he murmured.

It was hours before Porlyusica allowed them to come inside. When she did, Camilla was immediately on her feet and through the door before the healer could say anything.

Annalise was in a deep slumber and had a damp cloth on her forehead. She was sweating, her lips parted as she panted. Her face was twisted in discomfort. Camilla held in a gasp and froze in place.

"Did you find out what was in that syringe?" She asked and Porlyusica came to her side.

"Someone is trying to turn her into a ghoul."

Camilla's world froze and she felt as if her heart had stopped.

"Wh-what?" She stammered and felt Gray's hand touching lightly on the small of her back. Porlyusica's face was grave, well, graver than normal.

"Someone has been trying to turn her into a ghoul, they've been injecting her with Ghoul DNA. Blood, kagune, stuff like that. But, if she were to be a ghoul she would be a half-ghoul. One of the few that possibly exist." Porlyusica explained. Camilla stepped forward and touched her daughter's hand.

"But why is she so cold? She shouldn't be."

"Her body has magic. It's treating the foreign DNA as a virus and is increasing magic power as a way to fight the injections. Though from what we've seen, it isn't working all too well. If we don't stop whoever is injecting her, then she'll die."

Camilla sat at Annalise's side, head bowed as she listened to her daughter's staggering breath. She was biting her lip so hard it peeled the skin and stung her mouth. She knew if she bit any harder than she'd taste blood.

As she listened to the ticking of a clock in the corner and the breaths of her daughter, she remembered one of the first nights she had soothed her as a baby. Her mouth cracked open and a soft song formed at her lips.

….

Gray had his hand on the doorknob to the infirmary when he heard something. Straining his ears, he realized it was singing; Camilla's singing. It brought him back to when she would sing to him, if he had a nightmare or if she was just doing anything that occupied her mind.

" _The other night dear, as I lay sleeping_

 _I dreamed I held you in my arms_

 _But when I awoke, dear, I was mistaken_

 _So I hung my head and I cried._

 _You are my sunshine, my only sunshine_

 _You make me happy when skies are gray_

 _You'll never know dear, how much I love you_

 _Please don't take my sunshine away_

 _I'll always love you and make you happy,_

 _If you will only say the same._

 _But if you leave me and love another,_

 _You'll regret it all some day_

 _You are my sunshine, my only sunshine_

 _You make me happy when skies are gray_

 _You'll never know dear, how much I love you_

 _Please don't take my sunshine away."_

Gray felt his eyes burning and realized he was crying. He tightened his grip on the doorknob but silently turned it. When he opened the door he saw Camilla with her head bowed and her shoulders shaking. Annalise was so tiny and frail looking as the fading moonlight illuminated her face.

It was a moment before Camilla started singing again, her voice shaky and quiet but still as beautiful as he remembered.

" _You told me once, dear, you really loved me_

 _And no one else could come between._

 _But now I've left you yet can't love another;_

 _You have shattered all of my dreams:_

 _You are my sunshine, my only sunshine_

 _You make me happy when skies are gray_

 _You'll never know dear, how much I love you_

 _Please don't take my sunshine away_

 _In all my dreams, dear, you seem to leave me_

 _When I awake my poor heart pains._

 _So when you come back and make me happy_

 _I'll forgive you dear, I'll take all the blame._

 _You are my sunshine, my only sunshine_

 _You make me happy when skies are gray_

 _You'll never know dear, how much I love you_

 _Please don't take my sunshine away"_

 _(This is "You Are My Sunshine" by Johnny Cash.)_

 _(I did tweak the lyrics just a tiny bit though.)_

He walked forward as she held the last note until it faded and he stood behind her. She had her eyes clenched shut and didn't seem to notice him. He shrugged off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders as he took a seat next to her. She jumped and let got of Annalise's hands, turning to look up at him. Her eyes were red rimmed and puffy; a now familiar look on her face.

"G-Gray?" She whispered and he nodded, a sad smile crossing his face.

"I came to check in on you. To make sure you're doing okay. Well…. As okay as you can be in this situation."

….

Camilla looked up at the ice mage in surprise but didn't pull away as he wrapped a hesitant arm around her shoulders. As he did so, it felt as if the weight of everything came crashing down on her. She leaned into his side as exhaustion, anger, fear, sadness, and the disappearing adrenaline came crashing onto her shoulders. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, not wanting to let go. She cried and cried until she just couldn't anymore.

"I'm so sorry Gray. I'm sorry for not coming back and I'm sorry for pretending I was dead. I'm sorry for not telling you about Annalise, and I'm sorry for not telling you about everything. I love you, I always have and I always will. But please… Even after all of this, please don't leave me… I know I said we'd leave but I don't want to. Please..." She sobbed until her tears ran dry.

( _Based that loosely off of "Please Don't Leave Me" by Pink_ )

As she faded into a deep slumber, she felt his arm tighten and his voice soothed her sorrow.

"I'll never leave you. I promise you Camilla. You are the love of my life and I promise to love you and keep you and Annalise safe forever…"

 **Is it bad that I cried while writing this? Oops *sweatdrops***

 **But seeing as I didn't get too much feedback on the VoltronxFairyTail idea, is there any fandom you'd like to see me write for? I have a couple ideas, like a RWBYxHunter x Hunter idea, or an AvatarxFairyTail story idea. I'm up for any ideas!**

 **Please comment, favorite, and follow!**

 **I update every Saturday!**

 **Until the next update!**

 **FairyTailWzard over and out!~**


	8. I'M BACK

**_HEY EVERYONE I'M BACK!_**

 ** _AT LEAST TEMPORARILY..._**

I have some good news and bad news.

Good news first!

I will be back to updating though there won't be any fancy shmancy update schedule. But I'll try and update at the very least; once a month.

Also! Miraculous Ladybug Fics won't be happening but Boku no Hero Academia Fics might!

Now the bad news.

Burn Like Wildfire is going to be discontinued.

I have tried time and time again while on my Hiatus to write for it and it just isn't happening. So it's going to be deleted. I did get a lot of nice reviews and comments from it but I don't want to force myself to write something I don't want to. It won't be deleted just not updated anymore.

DONE WITH THE BAD NEWS!

Thanks to everyone for sticking with me and I promise I'll get an update out ASAP! I do have a chapter of Escapade that I'm going to finish editing and looking through but it'll be posted by the end of the week!

Have a fantastic day!

FairyTailWzard over and out!


	9. Awry

After that night, Gray's and Camilla's relationship didn't automatically go back to normal. They weren't a couple, more like good friends. They spoke on semi-friendly terms, speaking when spoken to, but never seeking out conversation. They danced around each other, never seeking out each other's companionship. Neither of them mentioned the words that were spoken that night.

In a way she was grateful that they at least spoke to each other. She knew their relationship would never be the same, if they even had any sort of relationship.

But in another way it hurt more to be near him but not with him. Whenever she saw him she was reminded of all the happy memories she had with him. She hadn't removed her ring, nor had Gray asked her too so it was safe to say he still cared for her in the romantic sense. Instead of wearing it on her finger, she had purchased a simple silver chain to wear the ring around her neck. If Gray had noticed, he didn't say anything.

….

Camilla awoke to the sunlight streaming through the infirmary window and Gray at her side. He was leaning against her and her against him, each supporting each other. She carefully maneuvered herself out from under him and allowed him to stretch out as much as he could on the small bench. She took note of his sleeping face and couldn't help but smile.

Four years ago she would have woken up and took the time to just watch him, the peacefulness of whatever he had been dreaming, before she got up to take on the day.

But her from four years ago was different than her now. Her smile fell and she turned to leave, intent on getting Annalise breakfast before she woke up. Perhaps doing something would help ease her troubled mind. Though, after what had happened last night, she hoped Gray being there, even for a little while, would scare away any intruders.

As she left however, she felt a hand grabbing at her wrist. Turning back, she saw Gray's eyes flutter and his hand tighten as he muttered in his sleep. He adjusted, his free arm bending to cushion his head as he lay on his side. Camilla let a wistful smile once again curl the corners of her lips as she gently removed his hand from her wrist and left the room.

The guild was still pretty much empty, only Mirajane and a couple other stragglers in the hall. Camilla walked behind the bar counter and towards the kitchen.

"It's nice to see you up and moving Camilla!" Mirajane said cheerfully and took a small break from cleaning the counter to give the girl a hug.

"It's nice to see you too Mira, I'm just stretching my legs a bit. I assume you heard what happened with Annalise?" Mira looked solemn but she nodded.

"We were talking about planning a surprise party for Annalise; her birthday is in a few days correct? You've spent nearly two weeks here." She offered and Camilla smiled warmly,

"I would love that….. Something like this for Annalise would be the best thing I could ever ask for for her."

Camilla carried a small plate of eggs and toast up the stairs to the infirmary. As she reached the door however she paused, hearing something inside. It sounded like singing, a child singing.

" _Don't worry about a thing,_

 _'Cause every little thing gonna be alright._

 _Singin': "Don't worry about a thing,_

 _'Cause every little thing gonna be alright!"_

 _(This is 3 Little Birds by Bob Marley)_

Camilla smiled sadly. She recognized this song. It was Annalise's favorite, one she sang when sad or scared or worried. She opened the door before the next verse could start and went inside. Gray was nowhere to be found.

"Mama!" Annalise cheered happily, breaking off her song.

"Hey sweetie, how are you feeling?" She set the breakfast down on the bedside table, taking a seat on the bench.

Annalise hummed as she shrugged.

"'Usica helped me feel better." She chirped, 'Usica' was her nickname for Porlyusica since she had problems saying her whole name.

Camilla ruffled her hair and smiled,

"That's good, but I have some good news for you! Do you know what is in a three days?" She asked, sitting on the edge of the bed and took her hand. Annalise cocked her head to the side, eyes wide with curiosity.

"What Mama?" She asked, frowning as she thought. Suddenly she brightened and a wide grin nearly split her face.

"My birthday! It's gonna be my birthday!" She cheered, waving her arms erratically before throwing them around her mother, giggling overtaking the pain of the situation.

….

Camilla had a basket on her arm, walking through the snow covered streets of Magnolia as she searched for what she needed. She knew she could just purchase a cake but would rather make a small one for just Annalise. She had the ingredients in mind, murmuring to herself the list as she walked through the market.

"Camilla?" The woman looked up and spotted Juvia, head tilted to the side as she studied the ravenette.

"Oh…. Juvia I didn't notice you." She said quietly, glancing away.

"... mind if I walk with you?" She inquired softly and Camilla froze for a moment before nodding. It would be nice to catch up with her friend.

"Are you making a cake for Annalise?"

"Hm? Oh; yes, Lissy says she'd rather have something homemade rather than a store bought cake. She declared it a tradition when she could first talk." Camilla smiled a little at the memory.

She had been extremely poor, money was tight and she had no way to buy a cake for Annalise's birthday so she scrounged around and found ingredients and an old recipe for a cake and voile, a cake was created.

"How have you been?" Juvia asked a little while after they had finished shopping and had returned to her home after she insisted on helping.

"I-it's hard. I knew this wouldn't be perfect if I were to ever come back…. but it can't help but hurt. We were supposed to be married Juvia; Gray and I were to be married and now we are barely on talking terms." Juvia frowned at this as Camilla unloaded the ingredients she needed.

With a sigh, Camilla looked around the kitchen.

"I guess the good side is I have magic huh?" She said with a dry grin and Juvia's eyes blew wide.

"You have magic now?!" Camilla actually laughed at this and raised a hand, yellowish-white magic pulsing around her hand as she summoned the dishes required from the various cupboards and drawers. They floated down and onto the counter almost silently and Juvia gasped.

"I do, after I woke up I discovered I had magic power manifesting in the way of telekinesis and force fields." She explained and Juvia clasped her hands together, eyes glittering.

"Camilla that's amazing!" Camilla smiled at the compliment before she glanced to the ground, fingers clenching into fists.

"Would you be able to help me get stronger?"

"Pardon?"

"Juvia look at me. I've lost my edge, I have magic I'm not totally accustomed to and someone is after my daughter. Please….. help me get stronger, train me, or send me to someone else who can…" Camilla clenched her jaw, looking up at her friend. Juvia's gaze softened and she nodded,

"Okay… okay I'll help you! I'll try my hardest to help you and Annalise as much as I can. I promise!" The water woman declared and pulled Camilla into a tight hug.

 **This is so disappointing. This chapter is so short *sweatdrop*. I'M SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG! I had this half done for a long time but I've been working so dang much I haven't had time! Also I realized I should probably have an outline but I really don't, I've just been kind of going off of the top of my head, in the moment kinda thing.**

 **Next chapter probably won't be out for a while, simply because I would like to get some things pre-written and possibly some new stories published (** ** _I'm not saying what cause I honestly have no idea.)_**

 **For those of my readers in the West Coast; please be safe during the wildfires. For those of my readers in the south and in Texas; please be safe during the hurricanes. Hurricane Irma is now a category 5 so please please please be safe!**

 **Until next time!**

 **FairyTailWzard over and out!~**


	10. Amiss

Camilla panted, standing up and wiping the sweat from her forehead. She stared Juvia down, allowing her body a quick moment of rest before she attacked again. Juvia was using water whips and she her forcefields.

She was out of shape, that she could tell. They hadn't even been sparring for half an hour and she felt so winded she felt like her lungs were on fire. She was thankful she had changed into leggings and a tank top to allow for better movement. It was strange being in pants and a shirt again but she could get used to it.

She ducked under a water whip and shoved her palm towards Juvia, using her telekinesis to grab her clothing and fling her towards the edge of their sparring rink.

Juvia caught herself gracefully and immediately sent a 'Water Slicer' move towards Camilla. Camilla crossed her arms in front of her face and summoned a force field. It was hard, she wasn't used to making something so large, but she managed it. The magic beat down on her defenses and she had to struggle to use her telekinesis at the same time.

It wasn't like her Kagune, that was a part of her body, like her arms or legs. This was something almost completely foreign to her. After a few moments of her force fields weakening, she was beaten. Juvia immediately ran over to help her off the ground, apologizing and asking if she was injured.

"Juvia! Juvia I'm fine! Honestly it's better if you don't go easy. I'll get back into shape and-"

"Camilla?" Said woman froze and turned slowly from getting up off the ground. Gray looked confused, slightly upset, and a little hurt. She tensed, feeling Juvia's hand on her arm and Gray's stare boring into her.

"You never said you had magic." He said, a little anger coloring his voice. Before Camilla could come up with an answer, Juvia beat her to it.

"She was planning on telling you, but…. well you're more than a little stressed out so she didn't want to overwhelm you…" Juvia lied and Camilla clenched her fists. Gray mimicked the move and she saw him tremble slightly.

"You know I don't like things being kept away from me…"

"But-"

"But nothing! I hate everyone keeping all these damn secrets from me!" Gray snapped at Juvia and that was the last straw for Camilla.

"You can yell at me all you want but you will **_not_** yell at Juvia." She snapped back and saw his eyes dart to hers. She turned and grabbed Juvia's arm before walking away, leaving him shocked behind her.

"I'm not done talking! Don't walk away from me like that-"

There was an arm grabbing her shoulder and she whirled, wanting him to get away for the moment. As she turned, her left palm came up and cracked across his face. His cheek turned to the side and he looked at her in shock. Her lips trembled as she spoke again,

"If you even remotely care for me or even Annalise, you'll back off. I'll talk to you when you're rational and calm. No one needs this drama. Annalise doesn't need this." She hissed before turning on her heel and leaving. Juvia waited for a moment longer before following the fuming woman.

"Camilla are you okay?"

"I'm….. I'm fine Juvia." Was all Camilla said as she pinched the bridge of her nose and rubbed her face. She sat on a wooden chair as they arrived in Fairy Tail.

"I just- I just wish things could get better. Where Gray and I aren't fighting, where Annalise is healed and okay, where I can finally get a decent sleep at night without these damned nightmares!" She hunched over the table and dig her hands into her hair. Juvia rubbed her back with a soothing hand.

"We'll make this work. I promise. Things will get better…." but she sounded unsure, but put up a brave facade to help Camilla herself be confident that things wouldn't go completely down hill.

….

It was finally Annalise's birthday. Camilla had made a simple cake and with Juvia's help, it was large enough for Fairy Tail. The cake was a sweet white cake dyed the color of a rainbow and covered in white frosting.

She had a present, a handmade dress made from fabric Annalise had picked out, but she couldn't afford much else. Fairy Tail, at her request, didn't go overboard but they still got her presents, a small pile laying at the end of her hospital bed. They were mostly children's books and coloring items and little nicknacks she could put up.

Camilla approached the infirmary door and peeked in. Annalise was giggling as Happy stuck a birthday balloon to Natsu's hair. The static made his hair stand up even more so than normal and Camilla couldn't help but smile. He complained but had a carefree grin on his face, laughing boisterously when Happy shocked himself. Wendy had used her Dragon Slaying Magic to blow up balloons filled with air so Annalise could throw them around easily.

She gave a light knock on the doorframe and Annalise's head shot up.

"MAMA! Look! I made a balloon stick!" She cheered, pointing excitedly to the balloon stuck in Natsu's hair. Wendy laughed out loud and covered her mouth as she finished moving the presents to an extra bed.

Annalise clapped excitedly as Camilla wheeled her downstairs to look at her cake.

"Cake! Cake! Cake! Cake!" She chanted and shrieked when she saw the sugary pastry. Her mask had to be removed in place of a tube that went up her nose.

With Lucy's supervision, Natsu lit the candles and Erza helped cut the cake. The guild hall had been decorated with streamers (and streamers only because Natsu caught balloons on fire and exploded the decorations. Even streamers was pushing it.) with all the tables pushed together to form one massive table.

Annalise was cheerfully shrieking as they all boisterously sang 'Happy Birthday' and giggled wildly when Natsu smashed a piece of cake into his mouth in one bite. Camilla stood slightly off to the side, near her daughter but still letting her have free reign over the party. She noticed Gray in the outskirts of the crowd, hands deep in his pockets as he stared at Annalise. He had an unreadable emotion on his face, looking almost sad.

The party went off without a hitch, Annalise excited and laughing nonstop. Natsu paraded around with Annalise on his shoulders, Camilla tensing slightly as he whooped and cheered.

"If you drop her you are dead Dragneel!" She threatened after he spun around with her on his shoulders. He laughed,

"I'm being careful!" He said and nearly shrieked like a girl when she used her telekinesis to carry Annalise from off his shoulders and into her arms. She set the little girl down and allowed her to run around and play with her new toys.

….

Her daughter giggled, tugging on her mother's fingers and breaking her from her distracted thoughts.

"Come on mama! Grampa-grampa said he was going to play music!" She chirped, calling Makarov "Grampa-grampa" because in her mind, Makarov was Camilla's grandpa and therefore her 'double grandpa'.

Camilla allowed herself to be pulled to the dance floor and let Annalise step on her feet so they could dance. Annalise swung her arms wildly as a jazzy song came on stage.

Mirajane was kind enough to perform, Gajeel even taking the stage at one point. Camilla had allowed Annalise to dance with other guild members, the tiny girl gravitating towards Wendy and Romeo. The two were a budding couple, having gotten together sometime after Camilla left.

Camilla sat to the side, smiling as Annalise twirled around with Wendy and Romeo. She leaned her hand on her palm, idly playing with the engagement ring on the chain around her neck. She traced the small gemstone and smoothed her finger over the metal band as she was lost in her thoughts. This day was going well, but she couldn't deny she had the feeling that something would go very wrong, very soon.


	11. Wander

**Reviews on this story literally make me so happy I almost started crying, thanks so much! (Alternet RedSkys; you are like my favorite person, thank you for your lovely comments!) I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **WARNING: This chapter has mentions of and attempted rape. It isn't excessively descriptive but reader discretion is advised. I'll put a warning before it happens in bold letters and when it ends so if you are uncomfortable with it then you can skip.**

….

Camilla almost regretted asking Team Natsu for help with her magic. She couldn't deny that it was one of the best ways for her to get better quickly, but is didn't deny the fact that it was painful.

Natsu and Erza tended to go right to fighting and made her to figure things out in the moment. Whenever she sparred with them, she would no doubt go home with bruises and scratches. Wendy was gentle but unintentionally went all out on her than she technically should have for a beginner user for magic.

Lucy was more about meditation and allowing her to gain more control naturally and gently rather than fights. They still sparred but it was slightly easier as Lucy was slightly nervous to go all out.

Gray was essentially non-existent. He barely came to their training if ever, Camilla was pretty sure she could count on one hand, the amount of times he actually showed up. Even if he did, he only sat back and watched. As much as she would've liked to talk with him, to figure things out, he wouldn't allow it and she didn't want to cause another argument.

But on the plus side, she was getting better with her magic, able to create body sized force fields with little difficulty. Though any larger than that or if she overused them, then she risked bleeding from her nose coupled with a large headache.

….

Camilla craned her neck to the side as she wrapped her coat tighter around herself. She had been fighting against Erza and the Requip Mage did not go easy. On one hand she was grateful that the scarlet haired woman was taking her seriously, but on the other hand she was so sore it almost wasn't worth it.

She turned a corner, intent on going back to the guild hall to check on Annalise before heading to bed. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a shadow move and suddenly she was being pulled into an alleyway, a large hand clasping tightly over her mouth before she even had a chance to scream.

"Shh shh shh. We wouldn't want to cause a ruckus now would we?" A sickening voice sent a shiver down her spine, she recognized this voice, she knew this voice.

 _*mini flashback*_

 _Camilla screamed again and nearly fell to her knees before she felt someone grab the back of her backpack. She turned and saw something that would scar her forever._

 _It was a huge man, with matted bloody hair and half his face was missing. Camilla stared in horror as bone, sinew, and skin slowly stitched itself together. He had a crazy grin as blood dripped down his face and onto Camilla's._

 _"I-I for-found the brat!" He crowed maniacally to himself and blood spattered across Camilla as the crimson liquid dribbled spat from his mouth. Camilla desperately struggled and kicked the man before running away with all the strength she possessed._

 _*flashback end*_

Camilla stiffened as his fingers of his other hand stroked her neck, almost sweetly. She struggled, using her elbow to jam it into his side. His grip didn't loosen, if anything it tightened.

"You don't want to do that." He growled in her ear and she felt shivers run down her spine. He had one hand on her mouth, the other on her neck, a warning pressure making it slightly difficult to breathe. She stilled, body shaking with adrenaline and fear.

"Good… good… it's nice to see that you've become so obedient. Stay quiet and no one will die tonight." He cooed and she resisted the urge to vomit. He slowly removed his hand, she stayed quiet as he had commanded, she knew he could overpower her.

"I've been watching you ever since you returned to that blasted Fairy Tail Guild, ever since you were a wee little baby." He said and she could feel his nose against the back of her ear. It was so dark since the new moon cast little light. She was shrouded in darkness in an alleyway, people passed by without a care in the world.

"I lost you for a bit after that stunt you pulled 5 years ago…. I almost lost hope, but looksie here, you're alive, and with a baby no less! Oh I hit the jackpot didn't I? A Chimera type Ghoul having a baby." He breathed in her ear and she flinched, his grip tightening. He didn't realize she wasn't a ghoul anymore, he knew she had Annalise, he knew-

"You're going to listen closely here. You're going to get the little brat of yours and meet me here like a good little housewife." Camilla tensed 'housewife'?

 ***WARNING STARTS***

"Then you'll come with me, you'll be mine. And if you don't? Well let's say that there will be blood shed." He whipped her around, forcing his mouth onto hers in a cruel kiss. She tried screaming and tried to run away but he was much stronger, his Kagune erupted from his back and encased them both in a red cage. She fought back, tears welling up and streaming down her face as he started to try and tear at her clothing.

She fought back, punching and kicking, her magic fluctuating and making trash cans explode and stray objects fly around wildly. Camilla managed to get his mouth off of hers and started to scream for anyone to help her. No one came. Where was everyone? Anyone? Was she going-

 ***WARNING END***

Spikes of ice erupted from the mouth of the alleyway, tearing him off of her and throwing him down the alley. Camilla hit her head on the brick wall behind her and everything spun as a headache formed and stabbed into her brain. She collapsed to her knees, shaken and trembling. She held what remained of her clothing around herself, the shreds fluttering to the ground.

A coat was placed over her shoulders and she looked up to see Gray kneeling down in front of her. The Ice Mage looked worried, concerned, and so unimaginably angry. But his anger wasn't directed at her, it was directed at Jacobs who had fled the scene.

"Come on… let's get you cleaned up…" He wrapped his coat tighter around her smaller body and scooped her up off her feet princess style. She rested her head in the crook of his neck, holding tight to the fabric of his coat. He was warm and comforting, a feeling Camilla hadn't felt in a long time.

….

Gray brought Camilla back to his house, unlocking the door with one hand and letting them both inside. He set her down on the couch and she curled up, to shaken up to really protest.

"Can I get you anything?" He asked and she glanced around, still wary of everything around her.

"Can I take a shower?" She asked, more mumbling than talking aloud. He nodded, directing her to the bathroom and she thanked him quietly.

Gray found spare clothing and set it outside the door before sitting on the couch himself, head in his hands. He didn't know what to think. All he could remember was walking down the street, intent on getting home quickly, when he heard scuffling in the alleyway nearest to him.

When he had glanced down the alleyway, he froze at the sight of Camilla struggling in the arms of whoever the man was. He was a ghoul, his Kagune nearly glowing in the darkness of the new moon. He saw the man force her into a kiss and the tears streaming down her face as he tore at her clothing and everything seemed to go red.

Next thing he knew, he was kneeling down in front of Camilla, draping his coat over her shaking body. The man fled and he picked her up, noticing that she clutched his coat like a lifeline and had her head in the crook of his neck. It had been so long since he had been this close to her, held her, it felt natural and he realized he had missed it.

Gray tugged at the ends of his hair as he waited for her to get out of the shower. His feelings were so mixed up and turned around that he wasn't quite sure how to feel. He knew he missed Camilla, that he still loved her, but there was that horrible angry feeling that reared its ugly head whenever he tried to even speak to her. It was the years of anger and regret that had been held in and festered over the years that she had been gone. When she had come back it exploded in a torrent of red and almost hatred. Her avoiding him was understandable, expected even, but now that he had had time to calm down and think, he couldn't deny that it hurt.

There was the click of the bathroom door down the hall and Camilla slowly came down the hallway. She was dressed in an old green shirt and pajama shorts of his. They nearly drowned her, the shorts being cinched up and she played with the hem of the shirt. Her hair was damp and her skin red, a sign she had scrubbed until her skin was raw. She stood awkwardly for a moment before taking a seat and drawing her knees to her chest. They were both silent for a good while, Camilla was still shaking. Gray chewed on the inside of his cheek, normally he would've wanted to gather her up in a tight hug but at this moment he wasn't sure if he even had the right to.

"That was the man who killed my parents." Camilla said quietly, almost a bare whisper. She tightened her grip and Gray felt as if time stopped.

"... I thought he was dead…"

"No…. he's been terrorizing towns every since I…. Well ever since I died… according to rumors at least. But now I guess it's been confirmed that he's alive." She said, burying her face in the fabric of her shirt.

Gray stared at the floor in front of him, conflicting emotions fighting for dominance. When he looked back to her he felt shock course throughout his system. Tears were dripping down her face and she bit her lower lip to keep her cries from escaping.

"I thought….. I thought I was safe from this… I thought that now that I'm human I won't have to deal with this anymore- I just want to be safe for once. I just want Annalise to be safe- I can't lose her Gray." She hiccuped and he finally reached over to pull her into a hug. She gasped but then she wrapped her arms tightly around his waist and buried her face into his chest. No words were exchanged, other than Camilla hiccuping through apologies.

Gray pulled her close, inhaling the smell of a wood fire and the ocean that was just so her. Even her smell had changed, now he could just sit there for hours and just smell her without getting tired. And by Mavis he sounded like such a sap, but he couldn't help it. She always reduced him to a pile of slush, her smile making his heart do that funny floppy thing that wasn't unpleasant at all.

He away, cupping her face and wiping her tears away with his thumbs. Her large watery eyes were nearly identical to Annalise's, he could see the similarities in their trembling lips and in the way their noses scrunched up.

It was several minutes before Camilla actually calmed down enough to talk without hiccuping.

"I have to get back to Annalise… She'll be all alone and who's to say that he won't go after-"

"Annalise will be fine. She's in the heart of the Fairy Tail Guild Hall with Wendy, Natsu, and everyone else watching over her. You need to rest after what just happened." He said, taking his hands away from her face. She stared at him for a solid minute before sighing and sitting back.

"Al-alright…" She mumbled, rubbing the dark circles under her eyes and she leaned her face into her hands and her elbows on her knees. Gray placed a hand on her back, rubbing it up and down, trying to get her to calm down.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Came her quiet voice after several moments of silence and he stopped.

"I'm not sure I understand…"

"You've been avoiding me for days, weeks even Gray. You can't just come back and expect our relationship to be perfect. I figured that out when I came back. Things can't just go back to normal, too many things have changed for it to be even remotely normal."

"...Are you saying you don't want to have a relationship?" He asked, a cold feeling of fear growing.

"What? No! That's not what I'm saying. Okay maybe it sounds like that. I would love to have a relationship again. I still love you Gray, always have. But so many things have changed. I'm human, I have magic, for Mavis's sake I have a daughter!" She looked up at him, eyes firm with emotion.

Gray sighed, more at himself than at her. He leaned forward onto his elbows on his knees and stared at the floor.

"I love you too Camilla, I know I've acted like a jerk ever since you came back. I deserve whatever treatment you want to give me, hell I deserved that slap you gave me. But when you… when you died.. It felt like my world fell apart, it felt like losing my parents and Ur all over again. I never properly said goodbye, all the regret and mourning just built up until it turned into anger and when you came back…. It exploded and I lashed out. I didn't want to believe you had come back, that you were actually alive because you had been dead for so long. At first I thought it was a hallucination or some kind of dream. It doesn't excuse how I acted, I wouldn't be surprised if we never got past being acquaintances but… I'd like to give this all another try. I want to try being there for you again, I want to be your lover again…. If you'll let me…"

It was silent before Camilla spoke and Gray felt a glimmer of hope.

"...Okay Gray…. We can try again… But if you mess this up… I don't know if I'll be able to give you another chance…"


	12. Stray

It was almost agonizingly slow. Their whole relationship being taken with baby steps; no kisses or 'I love yous' were exchanged. Tentative hugs and hand holding being the only real physical intimacy they shared. But they talked more, so much more, about anything and everything. They would spend whole nights sitting next to each other in the infirmary talking in hushed tones about what had happened in the time when she was gone.

That was what brought them to where they were now. Camilla sat next to Gray on the train, heading to Toledge, the town Camilla had stayed in while she was 'dead'. Camilla couldn't deny she was slightly nervous and worried to be returning to the small beach-side town. She knew Annalise would be safe. Natsu, Wendy, Erza, Gajeel, and Lucy were watching her like bodyguards. While she didn't want to remember her life here, she knew it was a necessary step to further and deepen their relationship.

The town was covered in snow, the scent of the snow mixing with the saltiness of the ocean. Camilla had her coat wrapped tightly around her body, burying her nose into her scarf and staying close to Gray as she didn't want to get separated. Her shop had been sold to another person and turned into a bakery soon after she left permanently for Fairy Tail so she didn't have to worry about closing it or selling it. Not that it had much business anyway.

The pebbles and snow crunched under their feet and she huddled further into her coat and felt the cold metal key to her house in her pocket. Gray was quiet next to her, taking in the scenery.

The small cabin came into view, snow covering the roof. It was the same as she had left it, Frost spiderwebbed across the windows and her hand shook slightly as she slid the key into the lock.

"This was your home?" Gray asked and she nodded, unsure of what to say.

"It's so…. small…." he said a moment after,

"I couldn't afford much the last 4 years.." was all she said, the wind rocked the rocking chair in the corner of the porch as she turned the key and opened the door.

It was the same, a thin layer of dust covered everything and it seemed almost dark with all the lights off. She walked in, almost in a trance. Her fingers trailed on the wall, disrupting the dust as she walked the hall and rooms of her old home. She heard the floorboards creak as Gray walked in the living room. She paused in the kitchen; there were still dishes in the sink, clothing still hung up to dry. It seemed like everything was straight out of a snippet of time or a painting.

"Is this after she was born?" Came Gray's voice and she turned to see him staring at the photos on the fireplace mantle. She walked over to see the photos he was talking about. He held the photo of Camilla cradling Annalise in her arms, garbed in a hospital gown and an exhausted smile on her face. She had just given birth to her, Annalise being cleaned up quickly and given to the exhausted mother.

"Yes, it was taken about an hour after she was born. I was in labor for almost 24 hours before she was finally born." She said, wiping the dust away, Annalise was red-faced and crying, her little fists waving.

"24 hours?" Gray looked at her in shock as she nodded in confirmation.

"There were some complications where I wasn't dilated all the way and then she got stuck in the birth canal." She said, grimacing as she remembered the discomfort, thankfully she couldn't remember the pain, but she remembered it hurt.

"I'm… I'm sorry…." Gray hesitated and she looked over,

"Why?"

"Because you had to go through that alone. I was supposed to be there." He said, hands tightening into fists. She turned and reached up to cup his face and pull him closer to her so she could look him in the eye.

"It wasn't your fault. I was dead to you Gray. There was nothing you could've done."

"But-" she cut him off by placing a finger over his lips.

"It wasn't your fault. I was dead Gray. There was nothing you could've done." She repeated, he closed his eyes and leaned his forehead on hers, simply allowing her to hold him.

There was a loud knock, more of a bang, at the door, freezing the both of them in their tracks and sending everything into silence. Camilla looked to Gray and he looked at her, just as confused as she was. She let go of him and walked to the door, peeking through the peephole and recoiled. It was him again; Doctor Steven, his hair was disheveled and he had abandoned any and all sense of manners. Camilla frowned, why was he here? Why now?

The doorframe rattled with the force of the man on the other side of the door and Gray grasped the handle and before Camilla could say anything, he was turning the knob and opening the door to peer out. It was quiet for a moment, all that could be heard was Steven's uneven breathing before Gray spoke.

"Can I help you?" Gray asked cautiously, Camilla could see his shoulders tense as Steven replied,

"I believe I'm looking for the owner of this establishment? I believe it is a….. Laurel Quincy? I have business to discuss regarding how my last visit here ended…" He trailed off, Camilla could see him peeking or trying to see inside the house but Gray blocked his view.

"I believe I can deal with this 'business'. My fiancée is out at the moment. Any information regarding this 'visit' can be discussed with me." Camilla saw his eyes dart to look at her out of the corner of his eye and she smiled, happy he was referring to her as his fiancée even if they technically were no longer engaged.

Steven seemed to get more upset,

"Well you better tell your fiancée that I still demand payment, I should charge her extra for what she pulled. She deemed my treatment unsuitable for her daughter and proceeded to throw me out of the house! Very unladylike, it's proof that woman should just stay in the kitchen and be quiet and obedient."

 ** _(I DO NOT CONDONE THIS OPINION WHATSOEVER)_**

Gray glanced at Camilla once again and she nodded, she had told him about the previous meeting she had with this man and had to talk Gray out of hunting him down and hurting him.

"When will Miss Quincy be back?" Steven demanded and Gray tightened his grip on the door,

"I'm sorry but that's private information. I'm going to have to ask you to leave." He said coldly and tried to close the door but Steven shoved his hand in between the door and the frame.

"Where is she?" He snarled and Gray was struggling to shut the door. Camilla started from her spot by the fireplace and that's when Steven spotted her. His eyes bled black and red before Gray was thrown away from the door.

….

Gray crashed through a wall as 'Doctor Steven' seemed to grow stronger and shove the door off its hinges. Glancing up as the dust settled, he saw flashing red wing-like objects and froze. A ghoul? He didn't have time to think as red shards exploded from Steven's wings and raced towards him.

They didn't hit however, a glowing yellow shield appeared in front of him and the shards shattered against it. He looked to the side where Camilla lay after the blast, hand extended and a golden magic circle swirling around her hand and her hair floating around her face like she was underwater. Her eyes had a faint glowing hue to them, her teeth gritting as she clenched her fist and swiped her hand away. The forcefield moved and catapulted Steven out of the room.

Gray scrambled to his feet and over to Camilla, her magic dimming and hair falling. She let out a sigh of relief as they got to their feet.

"He's a ghoul?!" Gray asked and she looked at him incredulously.

"I didn't know! I don't have enhanced senses anymore!" She hissed and yelped as the front of the house was torn to shreds, Gray made a shield of ice, Camilla creating a forcefield at the same time. The force hitting the ice shield jarred his arms, shaking him to his core as the shards seemed never ending. He pushed Camilla away from him and out of the line of fire, ignoring her shouts at him to let her help. He couldn't let her get hurt, he couldn't risk losing her again.

The forcefield fizzled out as a stray shard sliced Camilla's cheek open and she held her hand over the bleeding wound. Gray grit his teeth and put his hands together, summoning his magic to create a shield over Camilla.

"Gray?! What are you doing!?" She demanded, getting up and pounding on the shield. Gray faced away from her, keeping his eye on the recovering Steven.

"Gray let me out!" Camilla was screaming as he dodged a barrage of the Kagune shards.

"I can't do that Camilla," She looked at him in fear and shock, eyes wide.

"I love you too much to lose you again." Was all he managed to get out before something hard collided with his chest, sending him backwards and everything went black.

….

" ** _GRAAAAAY!_** " Camilla's magic exploded, turning the ice shield to dust and surrounded Steven in a golden sphere. He shrieked and screamed, pounding at the shield but her magic was much stronger when fueled by her emotions. Camilla watched as Gray's body crumpled to the floor mere feet away. She glared and bared her teeth at the struggling ghoul in front of her, anger surging through her body like fire.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now?" She snarled and he didn't pause, spitting his response immediately,

"Because you're too weak to do- ACK!" The sphere shrunk until he was gasping for breath,

"Don't test me." She growled and he stopped for a second before a wicked smile crossed his face and twisted his features into a horrifying expression,

"If you pay too much attention to me, then your little fiancé will die!" He snarled back and she froze, her forcefield shimmering before hardening again.

"Get out of here. Get out of here and NEVER COME BACK!" She finally screamed, her hair whipping around her face and sending the sphere rocketing away until she couldn't see it anymore.

Immediately, she dropped her magic and turned back to the fallen form of her fiancé. She skidded and knelt at his side, brushing away debris from the now ruined house.

"Gray are you okay?" She said, brushing a strand of hair from his face. He didn't move, didn't reply. A cold feeling settled in her stomach as she cupped his face, his head lolling to the side.

"Gray?" She whispered and when he didn't respond she frantically felt at his neck, trying to feel for a pulse. She lay her head on his chest, like she used to do before he proposed, trying to hear the familiar steady beating of his heart.

All she heard was a gaping, empty silence.

…

 **I'M BAAAAACK!**

 **HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAMILLA I'M SORRY FOR THE CLIFFHANGER AND SORRY FOR LEAVING THIS FOR ALMOST 6 MONTHS!**

 **I PROMISE I WON'T LEAVE THIS STORY FOR THAT LONG NEXT TIME! OKAY I'M NOT YELLING.**

 **Please comment and tell me what you think! I love to hear from all of you!**

 **Until next time!**

 **FairyTailWzard over and out!~**


	13. Unanchored

**Chapter 12: Unanchored**

 **Sadly no Comment Review this time! There were no new comments!**

…..

"GRAY!" Camilla felt like she couldn't breath, like everything stopped. It took a split second but then her hands moved and she was performing CPR. She tilted her head back, opening his mouth and pinching his nose so she could press her mouth over his. After two breaths she started compressions, whispering under her breath as she did so.

"Please no, _**please**_ no! Come on you have to wake up Gray!" She was whispering, taking moments for mouth to mouth before doing compressions again. Her breaths came in pants, her chest heaving as she continued through burning tears. She could hear his ribs crack as she kept the compressions going.

( _I learned from an ER nurse that if you are doing CPR right, you should hear ribs cracking_ )

It seemed like forever and it wasn't working. Gray still lay lifeless, not breathing, and Camilla was shaking.

"Please Gray! Please wake up!" She choked out, doing mouth to mouth one more time before something happened.

Gray's eyes flew open and he inhaled with a gasp, his chest finally rising and falling on its own.

"GRAY!" She cupped his face, making sure he was actually awake before she helped him sit up. He groaned in pain, his cracked ribs most likely causing him pain.

"Camilla?" He croaked, voice raspy and he held a hand to his ribs, she was still knelt by his side, one hand on his back,

"I'm here." She whispered back, hurriedly wiping her tears as he came fully to his senses.

"What…. what happened?" He asked slowly, eyes slightly glazed from the pain.

"Doctor Steven… he's a ghoul….. he…. he got you pretty good. Gray your heart stopped.. I thought you were dead, you _**WERE**_ dead! I didn't know what to do, I started CPR but it wasn't helping? It didn't look like-" Gray put a hand under her chin, stopping her from talking by gently pressing his thumb to her lips.

"I'm _**okay**_ Camilla… I promise. You saved me. You saved my life." He said, pressing his forehead to hers, eyes closed.

It was silent as they sat there, noses brushing and foreheads pressed together. Her tears dried slowly and her sniffles died down. Before she had come back to Fairy Tail when she was a ghoul, she would've laughed at herself now. But now she was just grateful he was alive.

He cupped her face with one of his hands, his other supporting him. His fingers seemed to burn her skin and trail fire in their wake. She felt the little bubble of urge well up in her stomach and she pressed closer, connecting their lips in a kiss.

He seemed to come alive, his hand cupping her face sliding up to tangle in her hair as he let out a shocked inhale. Her fingers threaded their way through his hair and she pressed as close as possible to him. She leaned back for a minute before pulling back into a kiss she knew drove him crazy.

They could've done that for hours but their lungs screamed for oxygen and they were forced to break apart. He opened his eyes and their gazes met, deep blue meeting golden bronze in a loving look.

"I love you." She whispered before she could stop herself and she felt his breath catch before he was kissing her again, almost desperately, hands cupping her neck and mouth moving against hers. She had to pull away from him to give them both a chance to breathe.

"Say it again." He whispered against her lips,

"... I love you."

"Again….. please say it again."

"I love you, I love you, I love you." She whispered over and over again, Gray breaking each 'I love you' with a kiss.

Gray's head lay in her lap as the train rattled closer and closer to Magnolia. Shortly after her proclamation of love, his body had shut down from the pain to recuperate. She ran her fingers through his hair, trying to calm the mess as she allowed a forcefield to form just under him and mold to his body, levitating him a few centimeters off the seat so the jostling train wouldn't jar his cracked ribs. He looked so peaceful now, the furrow between his brows lessened and his normal frown softened. His breath was shaky but at least stable.

She threaded her fingers through his hair and between his brows, over his nose, and over his mouth and chin where it settled flat on his chest over his heart. It thrummed steadily beneath her hand and she could help but smile. He groaned slightly as he felt her fingers and shifted, eyes opening and he looked at her silently, lips quirking up.

"How far are we?" He rasped and she traced patterns on his chest.

"Not very far. You should sleep some more, your ribs probably hurt." He put his hands over his ribs and his magic made his palm glow as he cooled down his chest.

"I'll be fine." He said, reaching up and interlacing their fingers together over his heart.

He shifted and frowned, looking down and seeing her free hand in her lap glowing.

"What are you…?"

"Forcefield and levitation, it's my magic, so the train doesn't jar your ribs."

"But will your magic hold out?" He asked worriedly, he always worried about her and she smiled, leaning down to press a gentle kiss to his lips and stopping his worried rambling. He inhaled and his fingers brushed her jaw before she leaned away again.

"I'll be fine, my magic will hold out long enough for us to get home."

It did hold out but just barely. She got him to the Fairy Tail infirmary, floating him on her forcefield like a stretcher. He had fallen asleep again some time along the way and with a wave of her hand he was lowered onto a bed and the blankets covered him from the waist down. She brushed hair from his face and pressed a kiss to his forehead, fingers brushing against the growing stubble on his chin before she left to find Wendy.

The girl was sitting next to Romeo, talking as the couple nursed their own drinks.

"Wendy," She called quietly and the bluenette looked over to see the older woman.

"Yes?" She stood and approached Camilla who was now leaning on a doorway, exhausted from the magic use.

"I need you to heal Gray." She said and almost immediately Wendy beelined for the infirmary.

"What happened?" She asked, matching stride with Camilla.

"We went back to my old home, the one I lived at while I was gone. We were attacked by a Ghoul…" Wendy stiffened and Camilla continued,

"Gray took a pretty hard hit… it stopped his heart but I got it started with CPR.. but his ribs are cracked and I'd-"

"I'll heal him don't worry!" Wendy said with a grin and pushed the infirmary door open.

Camilla sat by Gray's side as he slept peacefully after Wendy healed him. It was dark and Annalise was sleeping at Porlyusica's so the older woman could keep an eye on the girl's fluctuating magic levels. Camilla reached out and entwined their fingers together and held his hand with both of hers.

"We normally switch places don't we?" Came a tired voice and she looked up from her hands to see him looking at her with a small smile.

"Gray! Holy shit- ah sorry. How are you feeling?" She stammered, scooting closer on her stool, he gave a tired chuckle and squeezed her hand.

"I feel fine, I assume Wendy healed me?"

"Yes, she came right after we got back. Do you need me to get her again?"

"No.. no I'll be fine." He said, squeezing her hands again and laying back in his pillows. She leaned her elbows on the hospital bed and stared at the blanket.

"I'm sorry Gray..."

"For what?"

"For this…. for getting you hurt…. for stopping your heart…. for everything….."

"Hey, look at me." Gray whispered and she did, his other hand coming to touch her chin, he sat up and leaned over. He pressed his lips to her in a feather light kiss, tracing his thumb under her eye and cupping her face. He pulled away and stared her in the eye, eyes blazing with determination.

"It's fine, it wasn't your fault. We'll get through this all. Together."

….

 **CRANBERRY (** _ **Camilla's and Gray's ship name**_ **) HAS SAILED ONCE AGAIN**

 **HOLY CRAP THIS WAS HARD TO WRITE**

 **I SUCK AT FLUFF**

 **But please comment! Tell me what you think! I love reading everyone's comments!**

 **Until the next update!**

 **FairyTailWzard over and out!~**


	14. Floating

**Comment Review Time!:**

 **Ireland from Quotev: Agh I'm glad you liked it! I'll be sure to take my time with chapters!**

…..

Gray woke up the next morning, his body sore and Camilla sleeping with her head resting on the hospital bed. She still held his hand and all of a sudden the memories of the previous day came rushing back to him. They had been attacked by a ghoul. His heart had stopped, Camilla started it again, she _kissed_ him, she had told him she loved him.

He looked over to Camilla who was still fast asleep, hunched over with her head resting on her arms, one hand still holding his while the other cushioned her head. She looked peaceful, unlike yesterday when she looked so stressed and worn out. He used his free hand to brush falling strands of hair out of her face, staring at her parted lips. Her eyes flew open when he touched her forehead and she shot up straight, looking around before calming down and seeming to realize where she was.

"Sleep well?" She mumbled sleepily and he nearly laughed,

"I slept fine, what about you? That doesn't look very comfortable." She yawned,

"I'm fine Gray, really." She said and sat back, letting go of his hand to stretch.

They sat together on a bench in Southgate Park as Annalise chased Happy around using her wheelchair. Natsu has taken a job with Lucy while Happy wanted to stay home and mess around. Camilla leaned on his shoulder, his arm lifted and went around her shoulder and she looked up and smiled at him. A warm feeling fluttered in his chest and his grip tightened.

"Mama! Mama! Can Happy take me for a ride with his wings?" Annalise made her mother look at her and she tensed.

"I don't think so Lissy, I think Porlyusica would want you to get better first before you try and fly." She said and he saw her daughter pout.

"Aww but Mamaaaaaa!"

"No buts Lissy, no flying until you're all better."

"It's okay Lissy! I can still push you around!" Happy chirped and she started giggling as he tickled her nose with her tail.

Gray smiled at the subtle twitch of her lips as she looked on and watched her daughter. He leaned down, brushing his nose against her temple, inhaling her familiar smell of the seaside and wood fire. She leaned away, looking at him incredulously.

"What are you doing?"

"Admiring the view." Her face turned bright red and she looked away, pushing his face away with a hand.

"Shut up it's embarrassing." He pressed a kiss to her cheek and smiled,

"That's why I do it."

…..

Camilla felt her cheeks warm as he whispered in her ear. She felt like a giddy lovesick teenager, like she was dating him for the first time all over again. Thankfully Annalise was distracted by Happy so she didn't see her mother with a beet red face.

"Why so embarrassed?" He asked her quietly and she looked to her shoes, why was she so embarrassed?

"I guess I'm just not used to it yet…. it's been 4 years since I last had any kind of romantic relationship."

A hand gently turned her head and she looked up to see Gray looking at her with an emotion she couldn't identify. He leaned down and her eyes fluttered closed as he kissed her gently. He tasted a little like the alcohol he had drank earlier that day and ice and just _**him**_.

"Ewww! Mama that's gross!" Annalise shrieked and Camilla pulled away to see her daughter making a face. Gray had an almost dreamy look on his face and she smiled before looking at her baby girl.

"Whatever you say Annalise. Say how about we go for a walk around town? Why don't we give Happy a break?" Annalise shrieked in delight and nodded rapidly.

"Yeah!"

"Okay let's-"

"Can Daddy come with us?" Camilla froze and looked to Gray who looked shocked.

"W-what?" Annalise pointed to Gray,

"He's my Daddy right? Kids back home said that their mommy and daddy do that all the time." She tilted her head confused, Camilla looked to Gray, trying to judge his reaction. He was unreadable and she stood up,

"Let's- let's go.." she said to Annalise and grasped the handlebars of her wheelchair.

They were all silent, listening to Annalise babble on and on about something of interest. Camilla felt almost awkward walking next to Gray. He was silent, hands in his pockets as Camilla's telekinetic hold rolled Annalise's wheelchair. Her own hands were tucked in her coat pockets as the snow crunched beneath their feet.

The humming of the machine safely siphoning out the extra magical energy out of Annalise's body and melded with her chattering voice. Happy had settled in her lap, helping keep her warm with her coat and blankets.

"Mama?" Annalise looked back and Camilla met her eyes, eyes that were the same blue of Gray's.

"Yes baby?"

"Will we ever be a real family?" Camilla's magic fizzled out and the wheelchair came to a stop. She froze herself, hearing Gray's shocked inhale. She pursed her lips, unsure of how to respond. Finally, Camilla came to the side of the wheelchair and crouched, taking her daughter's tiny frail hand in her own.

"Annalise, I want you to listen to me baby. We are a family already. Everyone at Fairy Tail is your family. I'm your family, Happy is your family. You have a big loving family who adores you." She said, wiping the welling up tears from her daughter's eyes. Annalise sniffled and nodded, a wobbly smile breaking through the frown.

"Now how about we go get a treat yeah? You deserve one sweetheart."

Annalise had Happy and Carla curled up at the end of her bed as she slept. Camilla sat by the hospital window, twirling the engagement ring on the chain around her neck. She watched couples walking in the snow, people stumbling down the streets as the sun went below the mountains. She almost envied them, almost envied their close bond and how open they were with each other. Yes she loved Gray, and yes they talked about everything, but she was scared. Scared that once they got together for real, he would be stolen away from her again.

"Can't sleep?" She looked over and saw Gray leaning on the doorway, his eyes unreadable and swirling with emotion. She nodded and looked back outside. She heard him sit down across from her, looking out again at the people walking below them.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked quietly,

"You…."

"Me?"

"Yes…. you.. what am I to you? What are we now?" She asked, finally looking over at him. He frowned, rubbing his face and leaning on his knees.

"You're the love of my life Ca-"

"You know what I mean. You heard Annalise earlier today." He clasped his hands in front of his mouth, looking at his shoes.

"I love you Camilla. And- and I want to be with you forever. I want-" he rubbed his eyes that were shining with what looked like tears.

"I want to be apart of your life. And hers. If you'll let me. I want to be a father to her. I missed the first 4 years of her life, I want to be there for the rest of it." He said, reaching forward and squeezing her knee gently.

"If you'll let me…"

Camilla had tears streaming down her face as she heard him talk. She nodded and watched as he reached and took ahold of the ring around her neck, freezing the chain until it shattered. He caught the ring in his palm and took her hand, staring at her fingers.

"Gray what are you-"

"I said I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you right? I still do." He said, her eyes widened as he got down on one knee, still holding her left hand.

"I asked before but it never happened so I want to do it again. Will you marry me Camilla?"

She stood up and grabbed ahold of his wrists, pulling him to his feet. Her hands settled on his jaw and she kissed him. His shoulders sagged and he wrapped one arm around her waist, the hand holding the ring coming to cradle her cheek.

"I said yes before and it's still a yes now. A thousand times yes." She whispered against his lips, he made a noise, almost like a choked sob and pulled her closer. She pulled away, looking up to the man she loved with tears in both their eyes. A smile spread across her face as he pulled away to slip the ring on her left ring finger.

"Mama?" Came a sleepy voice and Camilla turned, Gray's hands leaving her waist as she left him to go to Annalise.

"Yes baby girl?" She whispered quietly, taking a seat on the bed to brush some hair from her face and adjust the breathing mask over her face.

"What are you doing?" Annalise yawned, reaching up and patting Camilla's cheek. Camilla glanced back at Gray before looking back.

"I'm just talking to Daddy about some stuff." She said and Annalise furrowed her eyebrows before her eyes lit up with realization.

"I have a daddy now? Like a real daddy?" She whispered and Gray took a seat on the other side of her bed.

"If you want me as your dad then yes you do kiddo." He said and she looked to see him, pushing herself into a sitting position.

"Annalise you can't-" Annalise crawled from under her blankets and threw herself at Gray. He caught her and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I have a daddy!" She started crying,

"I have a daddy! A real daddy!" Camilla smiled sadly as her little girl sobbed. Gray was frozen in shock but wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her hair. One was around her, holding her close; the other was cradling the back of her head. He held her close like he was scared she'd disappear if he let go.

…..

 **I told myself I was going to wait to publish the next chapter but I was inspired as hell and then this chapter happened.**

 **Please comment and tell me what you think!**

 **Until the next update!**

 **FairyTailWzard over and out!~**


	15. Unmoored

**No new comments this time!**

 **(Thank you Potato from Quotev, you really kicked my butt into gear with coming back to this story!)**

 _*I'm going straight to the wedding since I know shit about planning them*_

 _*And Annalise was born in December and this is a couple months from that so it's March-ish*_

 _*GET READY FOR SOME SAPPY CRAP*_

…..

Weddings were supposed to be joyous days right? Starting a new chapter of your life with the person you love most. Starting a family and growing old together.

Camilla's wedding day had finally arrived. Sunshine streamed through the windows and she could hear the birds chirping outside on the tree branches. She was dressed in a simple but beautiful white gown that trailed behind her the slightest bit and a thin veil, concealing her features highlighted in makeup. Her hair was swept back into an elegant bun with a tiara-like headpiece that held the veil over her face and behind her head.

She was about to begin a new life with the love of her life and father to her daughter. So how did she spend this day? By locking herself in her dressing room and sobbing.

Camilla loved Gray. She knew that, and she knew he loved her too. He calmed her down and made her feel safe. Annalise adored him, taking to calling him her daddy almost immediately. He apologized for the fights he started, he listened to her mindlessly complaining about wedding plans and soothed her fears. He had even accepted her past as a ghoul. She knew without a doubt, she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him.

So why was she so scared? Why was she crying so hard? Her chest tightened, causing her breath to shorten. Her eyes burned, tears streaming down and ruining her makeup as she wiped at her face with a tissue.

And the worst part? She couldn't even tell what was making her so upset. All she knew to do was cry out all the pent up emotions. All the emotions from the past months of planning being released in the tumult and catharsis of emotions. Although it brought little relief as the tears refused to stop.

A soft knocking snapped her from her trance.

"Camilla? Are you in there?" It was Juvia, Camilla was screwed.

"Ah-! Hold on just a minute-!" She got up and scampered to the vanity to assess the damage done to the carefully crafted makeup.

"Ah, shit, sorry. I look like death! J-just a minute!"

"It's almost time Camilla," Came her worried Maid of Honor's voice and Camilla chewed on the inside of her cheek, grabbing a handful of tissues as she did so. She dabbed her cheeks, blending away the streaks and smudges;

"I-I know! Give me just a minute!" Her nerves were made obvious as her voice trembled.

Without her seeing, Juvia slipped in the room, brows furrowing as she saw the puffy condition of her eyes and her smudged makeup.

"You know, you're supposed to be out in the chapel.." Camilla weakly chuckled and Juvia rushed forward,

"Camilla! Oh Mavis what's wrong?!" She grabbed the crying woman's hands,

"I-I- I don't know…" Camilla whimpered and the water mage frowned,

"You're- you're not having second thoughts now right?" She asked, worried that she'd have to break the news and Camilla shook her head quickly,

"Of course not! That's why I don't get why I'm so upset! Stress maybe? I'm stressed, and exhausted, and scared!" She hugged Juvia and bit her lip as another fountain of tears was triggered.

"I'm such an idiot Juvia. I'm so sorry…"

Juvia pulled back and smiled reassuringly,

"Now you hush right now. It's alright, it's understandable after all! Weddings are a lot of work! If you're feeling up to it, then how about we get you cleaned up? It's about to start and I think Gray is going to pass out if he has to be up at the altar any longer he's so nervous!" Camilla chuckled a little at the thought of her fiancé being nervous as Juvia sat her down at the vanity and fixed her makeup with a combination of her magic and the makeup products set out.

"You're going to be the most beautiful bride when I'm done with you Camilla. I promise!"

…

Gray was sweating, messing with his tie and fiddling with his fingers, standing at the altar as people took their seats.

"You're going to untie your tie at this rate." Came his Best Man's voice; Lyon Vastia. His old comrade seemed delighted when he had received a wedding invitation; claiming it was about time he had finally tied the knot. Lyon had nearly cried when he was asked to be Gray's Best Man, even going as far as to hug Gray when he had asked.

"Can you blame me?" Was all Gray said before folding his hands together behind his back in an attempt to stop his fidgeting.

"Touché, but you might want to stop if you want to look your best when your love comes down the aisle." At this Gray stopped, it felt like he hadn't seen Camilla in forever. Something about it being bad luck for the groom to see his bride-to-be before the ceremony. To be honest, Gray couldn't care less about superstition and tradition, he would've been happy with even eloping but Camilla had expressed her dream of having an actual wedding so he went with it all.

His nerves shot through the roof when it quieted down and the wedding music started. He straightened up as the bridesmaids and groomsmen took their places. Master Makarov would be walking Camilla down the aisle to give away the bride and the two young mages would be starting their new life together.

The double doors opened at the end of the wedding aisle and Annalise rolled in her wheelchair down the aisle as the flower girl, looking so beautiful in her dress of dark blue. All the bridesmaids and flowergirl were in dark blue knee length cocktail style dress while the groomsmen were in gray suits with navy ties.

Gray's breath was crushed from his lungs when he saw Camilla enter the room. A delicate veil covered her features but he could sense her joy radiating from where she was. Everyone stood when she started down the aisle, holding onto the arm of a taller Makarov; the Master using his magic to be taller than his surrogate granddaughter.

Camilla's dress was simple, she hated the excessively extravagant dresses. It had simple sleeves that covered her shoulders in the opaque fabric but then covered to her elbows in a simple lace design. It trailed behind her the slightest bit, enough to be noticeable but not enough to trip on. She wore a tiara-like headpiece to hold the veil, something that had belonged to her mother and it had been given to her by Isabelle.

His eyes burned as they made it to the altar and Makarov handed her over to Gray. The ice mage lifted the veil to see her shining, smiling face. Tears glistened in her eyes as they saw each other for the first time in two days. She held a bouquet of flowers; more specifically daffodils, gardenias, and hydrangeas.

( _daffodils symbolize new beginnings, gardenias symbolize joy, and hydrangeas symbolize perseverance and heartfelt emotion_ )

Gray's own tears welled up as their vows began.

….

Soft music played as the newly-wed couple spun slowly on the dance floor. Gray's hand was fit snugly at her waist, his other grasping her own. Her free hand was placed at his shoulder, her forehead leaning against his as she breathed in everything that was him.

"I can't believe it." He whispered and she opened her eyes to see him looking at her with a gaze full of love. She laughed breathily,

"You took the words right out of my mouth love." She said, smiling as he kissed her softly.

"If I could have everyone's attention please." Came Mira's voice and the music died down to a soft barely heard tune. She had been kind enough to play the music, a soft combination of guitar and piano. Gray and Camilla stopped dancing, glancing at each other in confusion.

"The music is wonderful, but Master Makarov came to me a couple of weeks ago and asked me to compose a special song just for the new couple. Now I don't know about you but a good old fashioned love song is perfect for a first dance yes?" There was some cheering before Mirajane lifted her guitar, adjusting a microphone and began to sing.

Gray's hand's squeezed hers as he brought her back to their dance. Camilla leaned her head against his chest as she listened to the lyrics.

" _Can you find the time to let your lover love you?_

 _He only wants to show you_

 _The things he wants to learn too_

 _The hardest parts you'll get through_

 _And in the end you'll have your best friend_

 _Love like this may come once_

 _Baby it's fate_

 _Like a soul mate, he's your penguin_

 _Baby it's fate_

 _Baby it's fate_

 _Not luck_

 _Can you find the time to let your lover hold you?_

 _He needs somebody to hold to_

 _His love is strong and so true_

 _His arrow is aiming for you_

 _And he's the one that you were born to love_

 _Love like this may come once_

 _Baby it's fate_

 _Like a soul mate, he's your penguin_

 _Baby it's fate_

 _Baby it's fate_

 _Not luck_

 _Let go_

 _Let go_

 _Of time for you_

 _And I_

 _Let go_

 _Let go_

 _Of time for you_

 _And I_

 _Let go_

 _Let go_

 _Of time for you_

 _And I_

 _Love like this is all I want_

 _Baby we're fate_

 _Love like this may come once_

 _Baby we're fate_

 _Like a soulmate, you're my penguin_

 _Baby we're fate_

 _Baby it's fate_

 _Not luck_ "

…..

 **Hello my little Fairies! I really hope you liked this chapter! I know jack-crap about weddings so this was all based on what I imagined weddings to be like!**

 **Please comment and tell me what you think!**

 **Until the next update!**

 **FairyTailWzard over and out!~**


	16. Important PSA

Hello everyone. I come bearing some solemn news.

No I'm not deleting this story or any of my stories.

But I am now an adult (I turned 18 whoop dee freaking do) and am finding myself overwhelmed with life, love life, finding a job, stressing about college, family stuff, and my stories.

I have made promises of not waiting so long to update but obviously that isn't happening and I sorely apologize for keeping hopes up.

I have done something with my stories I never thought I'd do.

I burnt myself out.

Completely.

I think it had to do with the workload I was putting on myself and I was making myself unhappy with how my chapters were turning out so I just stopped writing all together.

Literally I haven't written ANYTHING in 3-4 months.

And as an overly stressed out author I have come to a decision.

One that hurts me to make.

I am putting my stories on hiatus.

Not all of them. But I am putting all stories on hiatus until I finish one and then I'll take one off and focus on that one. Focusing on one story at a time if you will because if I don't then I'll end up with story after story that I won't finish and I don't want to do that to you guys.

The story I'm going to focus on is Frostbite.

A Pro Hero!Izuku Midoriya x OC platonic relationship story. A father-daughter relationship if you will

I really want to explore this story concept I've had for a while and finally found an ounce of creativity to write it.

I'm really sorry for disappointing everyone and making promises I couldn't keep but this is the only way I can think of to keep writing without giving up completely.

I'm sorry

But it's for my mental health.

Until next time.

FairyTailWzard over and out.


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